NEWCASTLE have made a habit of defying the odds in their latest quest for League Cup glory and they will need to do it again as they head to Stamford Bridge for their quarter-final with Chelsea.
Eddie Howe's men reached the Carabao Cup showpiece last season only to fall at the final hurdle and few teams would deserved a trophy more if the Magpies go one step further in this campaign.
Newcastle knocked out Manchester City in the third round, justifying the faith of our man Mark, then avenged their final defeat by Manchester United with a stunning 3-0 triumph at Old Trafford.
They deserved an easy draw after those two ties but instead landed another tough one on the road against Mauricio Pochettino's unpredictable Chelsea outfit.
And the bookies don't fancy their chances with injuries hitting Howe's demoralised squad hard amid a demanding run of games. The Magpies ended a run of three successive defeats as they beat Fulham 3-0 at St James' Park on Saturday.
But that victory came at a cost with Fabian Schar and Joelinton joining the lengthy list of casualties and Howe will need to ask his tired team to dig deep once more for another midweek fixture.
Chelsea remain maddeningly unpredictable and the vast sums of money spent on their squad have yet to produce a cohesive and slick side. Pochettino will be under presssure if results fail to pick up but a victory here would leave him just two games from a trophy.
The Blues ended a run of two successive defeats by beating lowly Sheffield United 2-0 on Saturday, with a rare clean sheet busting the coupon of our man Gabriel.
Their home form has been good of late, with three wins and a thrilling 4-4 draw against Manchester City in their last four outings at Stamford Bridge. Pochettino has some impressive firepower in his squad and will be looking to blow away a Newcastle side running on fumes at the moment.
How the bookies view it
Chelsea are heavy favourites to qualify at a best 8/15 with Coral but the price increases to 17/20 with BetMGM if you back them to get the job done inside 90 minutes. Newcastle are 7/2 to win without extra time or penalties and 15/8 at Paddy Power to reach the semis. The draw at 90 minutes pays 3/1 with Bet365.
Recent head to head
Newcastle romped to a 4-1 victory when these sides faced off in the Premier League earlier this season and that made it three games unbeaten against Chelsea. But the Blues held the upper hand before that, winning four in a row.
Players to watch
Nicolas Jackson has yet to win over the Chelsea fans and his place up front could be under threat with big-money signing Christopher Nkunku returning to fitness. But he scored against Sheffield United on Saturday and is now on eight goals for the season. The striker is 19/10 at Unibet to add to that tally here.
Howe doesn't have many options to freshen his side up with so many first-team players on the sidelines. Anthony Gordon continues to impress on the left wing and he's 21/4 with Unibet for anytime scorer.
Anything else catch the eye?
We saw five goals when these teams faced off earlier this season but I'd be surprised if we saw a repeat in this cup tie. Unibet are offering 11/10 on under 2.5 goals and that bet has landed in Chelsea's last two outings.
That clash at St James' Park last month only produced six corners so betting against flag kicks could pay off here. Under 10 corners pays a decent 6/5 with Bet365.
Unibet have some good prices for players having a shot on target. Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher usually has a few cracks from distance and he's 5/4 to test the keeper. For Newcastle, winger Miguel Almiron is 6/5 to get an effort on target.
This EFL Cup match between Chelsea and Newcastle United will be played on Dec 19, 2023 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Chelsea vs Newcastle United prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
