Dimitar Berbatov is tipping Newcastle United to hold Chelsea FC to a 1-1 draw in Sunday’s Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea FC head into the game on the back of their 3-1 win over Norwich City on Thursday night as the Blues look to put their off-field issues to one side and focus on their performances on the pitch.
The south west London side are attempted to function as normally as possible despite the restrictions currently in place at Stamford Bridge as a result of the sanctions imposed on club owner Roman Abramovich.
Chelsea FC have a good recent record against Newcastle – the Magpies’ only win in their last 27 clashes with the Blues came back in May 2012. Chelsea FC have also won their last eight league home games in a row against Newcastle.
However, the Magpies have been in good form under Eddie Howe lately and have strung together a nine-game unbeaten run in the Premier League.
And former Spurs star Berbatov reckons that Howe’s men are poised to frustrate the Blues and claim a 1-1 draw in Sunday’s clash in south west London.
Writing in his column for Metro, Berbatov said: “Chelsea have been doing really well on the pitch, they have been getting the job done with everything going on in the background.
“I have been really impressed with Newcastle, you can see that there is a real togetherness there and they are all working hard for each other which makes a massive difference in games. I can see this one being a good battle.”
Looking ahead to Sunday’s clash, Blues boss Thomas Tuchel insisted that the only way his side can deal with the off-field concerns about the club is to focus on their performances on the pitch.
“It’s always the best way for a football team, to carry on winning,” said Tuchel ahead of the game.
“Of course also for us it’s maybe at the moment a bit more difficult because of the noise. There will be some players who feel uncertainty, some will maybe be a bit frightened, some will be concerned. It’s normal.
“It’s also not only about the players. We have a lot of people in the staff and in the club who are maybe also worried and scared and uncertain.
“That’s why it’s very important that we keep the trust and the belief in the training centre, in all of us, and we rely on ourselves and in the end allow ourselves to be the guys who take care of the sport, because we did not cause the situation, we cannot solve the situation.
“So it can also I think give us a little bit the freedom in the end to still enjoy what we are doing and still follow the responsibility to give everything and what we demand from ourselves. This is what we do and I am happy that we can still produce results and performances. We will be on it again to be ready for Sunday.”