Newcastle vs Chelsea Carabao Cup clash predicted as Enzo Maresca's rotation works wonders

Just three days after taking on Newcastle in the Premier League, Chelsea travel north to take on the Magpies in the Carabao Cup Round of 16 later today.

Goals from Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer handed Chelsea a 2-1 win over Newcastle on the weekend in a very close affair at Stamford Bridge. Now, Enzo Maresca's side will make the trip to St. James' Park to take on the Magpies again, but this time in the Carabao Cup.

The Blues beat Barrow 5-0 in the previous round to set up the clash with Newcastle, with Eddie Howe's side edging past Wimbledon with a 1-0 win. Maresca is expected to rotate heavily once again as he does with the Conference League, with the likes of Christopher Nkunku, Joao Felix, and Jadon Sancho all expected to start.

So, can Chelsea make it back-to-back wins against the Magpies later today? Let's take a look.

We simulated Newcastle vs Chelsea to get a score prediction

To complete this simulation, we used EA FC 25 and updated the squads with the latest injuries, suspensions and transfers.

We predict that the Magpies could set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Vlachomidos; Livramento, Krafth, Schar, Kelly; Willock, Longstaff, Joelinton; Murphy, Isak, Osula.

We predict that Chelsea could set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: Jorgensen; Disasi, Tosin, Badiashile, Veiga; Fernandez, Dewsbury-Hall; Sancho, Felix, Mudryk; Nkunku.

Chelsea were fantastic in the first 10 minutes at St. James' Park, and they took advantage of their early dominance when Felix fired home Sancho's drilled cross from close range. With an early lead, confidence was high, and 36 minutes in, Felix turned provider to help put the Blues two goals ahead.

Mykhailo Mudryk used his pace on the left to burn past Tino Livramento before flicking a pass towards Felix in the middle. As the Portuguese international received the ball, he quickly cut back onto his right to slide a pass into the path of Christopher Nkunku, and the striker showed great composure to curl his strike around the 'keeper to make it 2-0.

Just before half-time, Chelsea were awarded a penalty when Sancho was tripped inside the box by Lloyd Kelly, and the Englishman stepped up to take, sending the 'keeper the wrong way to grab a third for Maresca's side. With a three-goal lead at the break, Chelsea took their foot off the gas in the second half, choosing to see out the victory instead.

EA FC 25 predicted final score: Newcastle 0-3 Chelsea

What do you think the final score will be? Let us know in the comments!