Paul Merson believes Chelsea will get the better of Newcastle United in an “absolutely massive” game at Stamford Bridge on Monday.
It’s a six-pointer in the hunt for Europe. A win for Eddie Howe would see us move seven points clear of the Blues. But a victory for Mauricio Pochettino and they’d be just one point behind us with a game in hand.
Merson thinks Chelsea are “slowly getting better” and wonders if the doom and gloom could lift if they win this and go on a run, with some good fixtures set to follow against Burnley and Sheffield United in two of their next three league games.
Speaking to Sportskeeda, the Sky Sports pundit had this to say ahead of the game:
“Chelsea are four points behind Newcastle with a game in hand, so this is an absolutely massive game for them. If they can win this and go on a bit of a run, it may not be all doom and gloom for Mauricio Pochettino, whose position at the club is likely to be re-evaluated at the end of the season.
“The Blues are slowly getting better, but they tend to have phases in games. They need to be more consistent over the course of the 90 minutes to start winning more games. Chelsea have some nice games coming up and could end the season well, so I’m going for a 2-1 home win.”
Prediction: Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle
Merson has a habit of getting things wrong when it comes to Newcastle United. Hopefully that trend continues on Monday night, which feels like a big game in our bid to catch Man Utd and keep the momentum going from last weekend’s win over Wolves.
