Chris Sutton predicts Palace vs Newcastle draw as he finally gets off the mark
Chris Sutton is predicting a 2-2 draw between Crystal Palace and Newcastle on Sunday, warning that Matthias Jaissle's side remain too open after our defeat to Aston Villa.
The BBC pundit has finally collected his first points of the season in The Sutton Scorecard, having correctly backed Villa to win at St James' Park last weekend.
Sutton fears Palace will expose Newcastle's press
Writing in his latest BBC Sport predictions, Sutton defends Pierre Sage before turning his attention to Newcastle:
"Crystal Palace manager Pierre Sage's future appears to be in some doubt but his critics seem to have forgotten that they are 14th in the table, when the Eagles finished 15th last season under Oliver Glasner.
"Yes, Palace had a heavy defeat at Brighton last week and it doesn't help it was at the hands of their big rivals, but it is not like Sage has got one point from his first seven games. They are leaking a few goals, but there are reasons for that.
"There has been huge change at Selhurst Park in recent months, with some key players leaving, especially at the back. Others have stayed but are still unhappy, and Sage has had a lot to contend with.
"Palace play in Turkey on Thursday night which won't help their preparation for this game, but I still feel like they will get something against Newcastle.
"There has been a lot of change at the Magpies too, but the thing that worries me most about Matthias Jaissle's side is that they are so open.
"'Chaotic' was the word I used to describe them against Aston Villa last week.
"Villa are always very well structured in the way they play but they got chances against Newcastle just by persevering with their build-up play.
"If Newcastle don't get their press quite right again here, then Palace will cause them problems too - I definitely don't see this game as being one where defences are on top."
Sutton's prediction: Crystal Palace 2-2 Newcastle.
Palace have since drawn 2-2 away to Besiktas on Thursday night, leaving them a quick turnaround before Sunday's 2pm kick-off at Selhurst Park.
The Sutton Scorecard 2026/27
His 3-2 Villa prediction in last week's edition became our 1-0 home defeat, ending a run of six incorrect calls.
That earns him two points for the right result with the wrong scoreline. An exact score earns five points, while a wrong result gets zero.
| Match | Sutton's prediction | Actual result | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newcastle vs Liverpool | 1-3 | 2-2 | 0 |
| Tottenham vs Newcastle | 2-1 | 0-2 | 0 |
| Newcastle vs Bournemouth | 2-1 | 2-2 | 0 |
| Leeds vs Newcastle | 1-1 | 4-1 | 0 |
| Newcastle vs Hull | 1-1 | 2-1 | 0 |
| Coventry vs Newcastle | 1-1 | 4-1 | 0 |
| Newcastle vs Aston Villa | 2-3 | 0-1 | 2 |
Predictions scored: 7
Exact scores: 0
Correct results, wrong score: 1
Wrong results: 6
Total points: 2/35
After conceding 14 goals in seven league games, we'd bite your hand off for a scrappy Newcastle win and a clean sheet on Sunday.
