Sutton: Newcastle are turning into the new Chelsea

Newcastle United star Bruno Guimaraes
Newcastle United star Bruno Guimaraes. Photo by Shutterstock.

Newcastle United face a difficult away match against Fulham in the Premier League on Saturday.

The Magpies have struggled with inconsistency this season and could face trouble against a Fulham side who have been good at home.

Chris Sutton’s prediction for the match between Fulham and Newcastle is a 2-1 win to Fulham and if you are into betting on football, you can get odds around 8.80 for this prediction or as some might see it, betting tips.

“Newcastle’s inconsistency means they are turning into the new Chelsea – which is not a good thing for them, or for the sake of my predictions,” BBC Sport football expert Chris Sutton said.

“Fulham have been up and down as well, but they are usually more reliable at home and the Magpies squad is still stretched by injuries and some of their players appear to be running on empty.

“Compared to last season, Newcastle’s defensive record is significantly worse this time – they conceded 33 goals in 38 games in 2022-23 but have already shipped 52 in 30 matches so far in this campaign.

“A lot of that is down to the fact their regular back five from last season, defenders Kieran Trippier, Dan Burn, Fabian Shar and Sven Botman plus their goalkeeper Nick Pope, have missed so many games this time.

“Those five players all started at least 35 league games last season, but there has been nothing like the same continuity in recent months.

“That’s a major reason why teams have been able to get at them, and I am expecting Fulham to do the same on Saturday.”