Chris Sutton worries about Newcastle United's 'stretched' squad as he predicts who will win on Saturday as Magpies take on Chelsea
Newcastle United host Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday with a 12:30pm kick-off, live on TNT Sports.
The Magpies' league form is still a cause for concern for many, but at home, Newcastle have looked strong this season and have managed to grind out results.
Chelsea are suffering with some inconsistency themselves, which sets this one up as an intriguing encounter.
Our big concern, which is shared by Chris Sutton, is that Newcastle's squad is depleted right now, especially in terms of defensive options.
Chris Sutton feels Newcastle have the edge going into Saturday's game
Despite those concerns, Chris Sutton has written in the BBC that he's still backing Newcastle to take the three points on Saturday, citing Chelsea's poor record at St James' Park as the deciding factor.
"Both teams won in the Carabao Cup in midweek, but it feels like Newcastle's squad is being stretched more at the moment.
"There is a worry for Chelsea too, though, in terms of what is happening with Enzo Maresca.
"He is obviously unhappy about something, and if there is some sort of infighting going on, or if he feels he is not being backed properly, then that does not bode well regardless of what happens on the pitch.
"I certainly don't think Maresca's issues are with his team's performances. Chelsea are very principled in the way they play and they will cause Newcastle problems.
"I am still going to go with Newcastle to win it, though.
"I usually back them at home anyway, but this is prediction is mainly based on Chelsea's recent record at St James' Park, which is poor - they have not got anything there since 2021.
"Sutton's prediction: 2-1"
We'll take a win by any means
Recent history is definitely on our side with this one, and as we said, we do keep managing to grind out results on our home turf.
Had this one been at Stamford Bridge, we'd probably not have given us a chance in hell, but we can go into this one with confidence that we could at least get something out of this game.
In truth, we need a good performance and a convincing win to completely banish the memories of last week, but we'll settle for three points.
