Newcastle United vs Chelsea: Premier League match preview, score predictions and potential lineups

The Premier League action heats up this festive period with a thrilling clash at St James’ Park as Newcastle United host Chelsea on Saturday, December 20, 2025. Kick-off is at 12:30 PM GMT, marking an early lunchtime showdown in Matchweek 17 of the 2025/26 season.

Newcastle, sitting 12th in the table, have been formidable at home, earning the majority of their points at St James’ Park. Chelsea, in 4th place and chasing the top spots, are looking to build momentum after recent wins but face a tough test against a Magpies side that has dominated this fixture lately.

Recent Form

Newcastle United have shown resilience, advancing to the Carabao Cup semi-finals with a dramatic 2-1 win over Fulham midweek. However, a derby defeat to Sunderland exposed vulnerabilities, and they’ve failed to keep a clean sheet in their last nine Premier League games.

Chelsea bounced back from a winless run with victories over Everton (2-0) and Cardiff (Carabao Cup), keeping clean sheets in five of their last seven league matches. The Blues boast the joint-most clean sheets in the Premier League this season (eight, tied with Arsenal).

Potential Lineups

Newcastle United Predicted Lineup (4-3-3): Ramsdale; Livramento (or Miley), Thiaw, Schar, Hall; Tonali, Guimaraes, Joelinton; Elanga, Woltemade, Gordon.

Chelsea Predicted Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; James (or Gusto), Fofana, Chalobah, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Neto, Palmer, Garnacho; Joao Pedro.

Score Predictions

Newcastle’s strong home record against Chelsea makes them slight favorites in some simulations (Opta supercomputer: 42% win chance for Newcastle, 31% for Chelsea, 27% draw). However, Chelsea’s defensive solidity on the road (four clean sheets in last five away games) could frustrate the hosts.

Our Prediction: Newcastle United 2-1 Chelsea. The Magpies’ home advantage and motivation post-derby loss could edge a tightly contested game.