Chelsea v Newcastle: Fouls markets ripe for the picking

• Chelsea 2nd for fouls; Newcastle 2nd most-fouled

• Back angles involving Guimaraes, Gusto and Gordon

• 6/1 Bet Builder looks tasty for Monday Night Football

• Read about Betfair's 90 Minute Payout offer here

Chelsea v Newcastle
Monday 11 March, 20:00
Live on Sky Sports Premier League & Main Event

It's now March but it's still hard to get a real handle on Chelsea - one week they look like there's real potential there, the next the head back to square one.

That said, there's one thing that's been pretty consistent with the Blues this season and that's their high fouling rate.

They are averaging 12.46 fouls per game, a figure which puts them second to Bournemouth.

On Monday, they face the league's second most-fouled team, while the reverse fixture saw a whopping 32 fouls committed with the cards tally hitting double figures.

With referee John Brooks also above average when it comes to fouls-per-game (22.88 v 22.16), there's a clear angle to be attacked.

Leg 1: Bruno Guimaraes to be fouled 3+ times

Chelsea midfielders Conor Gallagher and Moises Caicedo are both 2+ fouls regulars - the former has landed the bet in six of his last eight starts, while the later has delivered in 10 of 15.

However, with the pair at 4/91.44 and 4/71.57 respectively, I'm actually going to head to the Newcastle players 'to be fouled' market for better value.

Bruno Guimaraes is 10/111.91 to be fouled 3+ times - something that has happened in each of his last seven matches.

English Premier League - Top 5 Fouls Won

Player	Team	Apps	Fouls Won	Fouls Won/90*
Elliot Anderson	Nottm Forest	38	80	2.2
Bruno Guimarães	Newcastle	29	75	2.7
Crysencio Summerville	West Ham	31	67	2.4
Jérémy Doku	Man City	30	61	3.1
Alex Scott	Bournemouth	37	60	1.9

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Given he's up against a high-fouling pair in the centre of the park in this contest, this looks a strong foundation on which to kick off our Bet Builder.

Leg 2: Malo Gusto to be fouled 1+ time

I also like the look of the likely battle down the Chelsea right where right-back Malo Gusto will go up against Anthony Gordon.

Gusto has been one of the brighter spots for the hosts of late and he likes to drive forward which will give Gordon plenty of think about going the other way.

Gusto has been fouled in 13 of his last 15 appearances since returning from injury and it's not hard to see him being dragged back at some point by Gordon on Monday night.

Leg 3: Anthony Gordon to commit 2+ fouls

The Chelsea man to be fouled at least once makes the coupon, as does Gordon to commit 2+ fouls.

At 13/82.63, this looks a value play with the England Euro 2024 hopeful having landed the bet in in seven of his last 12. Overall, he's committed 20 fouls across those matches.

The three legs combine to produce a Bet Builder which pays just over 6/17.00 - hopefully a good way to start the new week.

More Chelsea-Newcastle: Mike Norman's in-depth preview here!