"Anything can happen" – Mark Lawrenson makes surprise prediction for Chelsea vs Newcastle United
Liverpool legend Mark Lawrenson has predicted a 2-1 victory for Newcastle United in their Premier League encounter against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Monday (March 11).
The Blues, who slumped to a 4-1 league loss at Newcastle earlier this season, are 11th in the 2023-24 Premier League standings with 36 points from 26 games. They have registered just one win in their last five league outings, most recently drawing 2-2 at Brentford.
Newcastle, on the other hand, are eighth in the league table with 40 points from 27 outings. After a disastrous end to last year, they have won three times and lost just once in their last six Premier League games.
In his column for British betting website Paddy Power, Lawrenson asserted that he is unsure about Chelsea's form and backed Eddie Howe's side to register an away win. He wrote:
"Both have been fairly inconsistent, although Newcastle won last time out. Anything can happen with Chelsea so I'm going to go with Newcastle, it'll be interesting to see what version of [the hosts] turns up this time."
Mauricio Pochettino's outfit, who have lost 12 of their 37 games this season, relish an upper hand over Newcastle. They have recorded five victories and two defeats in their last eight games against the Magpies.
Pundit lambasts Chelsea's recruitment and states they did not have to sign 20-year-old
Speaking on Sky Sports' Fan Debate, Manchester United great Gary Neville hit out at Chelsea for signing Romeo Lavia in a switch worth up to £58 million last August. He said (h/t Football Transfers):
"They went and bought Enzo [Fernandez for £107 million], they go and buy [Moises] Caicedo [for £115 million] and then through their ego they went and bought Lavia on the final day of the transfer window and then they have to sell Conor Gallagher? They didn't need Lavia, he's not even played a game for them anyway."
Last summer, Lavia was reportedly linked with a host of Premier League clubs with Liverpool believed to be close to snapping him up. However, he decided to join the Blues after staying at Southampton for a year.
Since arriving from the Saints, Lavia has struggled to stay fit due to an ankle and a hamstring injury. The 20-year-old holding midfielder has featured in just 32 minutes of first-team action for Chelsea, as a substitute in a 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace, so far this campaign.