Tag: Sunderland

For the second time in three seasons, Chelsea are going to lift the Premier League title against Sunderland at Stamford Bridge. The Blues have the title wrapped up, and they’ll finally get their hands on the silverware after this meeting with the already relegated Black Cats. Neither side has much to play for on the final day of the season, but don’t expect the champions to slack off. They can move on to 93 points for the season with a victory over the worst side in the league, which would leave them two shy of the Premier League record.

Chelsea can also become the first side in a 38 game season to claim 30 Premier League victories. They’re massive favourites to take the points in this game, so it seems likely they’ll claim that record. After all, it would ruin the occasion slightly if the title was lifted after slipping up to a side who are on their way down to the Championship. Given the nature of boss Antonio Conte, whatever side he names for this game should be focused on taking the three points. However, just how big a part will the prospect of the cup final play?

Team News: Final Terry run out as he teases retirement

While we expected rotation from Chelsea on Monday night, the whole-sale changes made by Conte were quite surprising. It remains to be seen if that was purely down to the team playing twice in four days, or if the title celebrations took their toll on the first choice players. However, with the FA Cup final just six days away, it’s hard to see the first XI taking the field for this game with little on the line. There are plenty of fringe players who are ready to step up and try to earn their place.

Sunderland have a lengthy injury list, one which has played a big part in their relegation this season. They’ve been without Paddy McNair and Duncan Watmore for a lengthy period. Defensive midfielder Jan Kirchoff is unavailable, while forward Victor Anichebe also misses out. One time Chelsea target Steven Pienaar is another name who sits out for the Black Cats this weekend. They switched to a 3-5-2 set up at Arsenal in midweek, and that is likely to be the approach they take at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. After all, the same formation helped Watford to three goals on Monday night.

Sunderland Form

The Black Cats have one win in their last 12 games, as they head down to the second tier with a whimper. That victory was at Hull after they were relegated, and it looked like Sunderland were going to kick on with no pressure on them. However, back to back defeats at home to Swansea and at Arsenal have left them bottom, and they’re set to wrap up a dismal season in the top flight on Sunday.

Sunderland’s away form has been terrible, which is a huge part of their quick relegation to the Championship. They’ve lost 14 of their 18 away games, averaging just 0.56 points per game on their travels this term. Having conceded 64 goals across the season, the visitors are likely to struggle in this trip. Having lost five of their last six games on their travels, we’re expecting another loss for David Moyes’ men this weekend.

Chelsea v Sunderland Head to Head

The Blues claimed a narrow 1-0 at the Stadium of Light back in December when these two sides last met. Chelsea have won 3-1 in back to back meetings with the Black Cats at Stamford Bridge. They’ll be hoping to avoid a repeat of the 3-2 defeat they suffered in May last year, which looked like it would be John Terry’s final match in a Blue shirt. It seems like this meeting with the Mackems will be his last Chelsea game.

• Sunderland 0-1 Chelsea, Dec 2016
• Sunderland 3-2 Chelsea, May 2016
• Chelsea 3-1 Sunderland, Dec 2015
• Chelsea 3-1 Sunderland, May 2015
• Sunderland 0-0 Chelsea, Nov 2014

Betting Tips

• Chelsea to win and over 2.5 goals – 4/5 with Coral
• Cesc Fabregas to score – 7/4 with Bet365

Chelsea come into this game priced at 1/6 with Sky Bet to take the three points, while Sunderland are massive 28/1 outsiders with Ladbrokes. The draw can be backed at 15/2 with Betfair, but we can’t see anything but a home win this weekend. That’s despite the collapse the Blues suffered at the back on Monday night. Following three straight wins to nil, the champions then edged out Watford 4-3 on Monday night to make it four straight home victories. However, their rotated side clearly struggled, with Cesc Fabregas scoring late on to secure a win.

While Sunderland aren’t prolific scorers at home, they’ll fancy their chances of troubling Chelsea’s second string defence. They’ve found the net in five of their last six visits to this ground, scoring eight goals across those six trips. With nothing to lose in their final game at this level, we expect the Black Cats to push forward. However, the champions should be able to rack up a few goals against one of the worst defences in the division. We think this game will be filled with goals, so we’re backing Chelsea and over 2.5 at 4/5 with Coral.

We expect most of the side which started against Watford to feature here, it’ll likely only have a few first team players involved. We can see a spot in the side for Cesc Fabregas, who will be looking to build on his goal against Watford. The Spaniard has been in wonderful form of late, while he struck the only goal when these two sides met earlier in the season. We’re backing him to get among the goals once again, as we’re tipping Fabregas to score any time at 7/4 with Bet365.

Can struggling Sunderland deliver a blow to Chelsea’s title hopes with an unlikely win at the Stadium of Light on Wednesday night? It’s a rare return to meaningful midweek action for the Blues, who are missing out on European action this term. This is the start of a busy December for Antonio Conte’s side. The Italian is going to have to get used to English football’s packed festive period of frequent fixtures. It could come as quite a culture shock for a man well used to the European winter break.

A narrow, hard-fought win over West Brom at the weekend kept the Blues top of the Premier League table. They have a three point advantage over second placed Arsenal, and a full seven point cushion between themselves and Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. Meanwhile, Sunderland are now rock bottom in the top flight, as they can’t seem to get away from the relegation battle. Can they record a shock win over the leaders, or will they be pushed even closer to the drop here?

Team News: Conte planning midweek rotation?

Chelsea make this trip without too many worries at the back. John Terry is once again available for selection, but he’s not likely to make a start here. We could see a few changes in this game, given their fixture schedule. They’ve played two of six December fixtures, with a trip to Spurs to come in the opening days of 2017. Expect the 3-4-3 to stay, but we could see a couple of stars given a break.

Given his recent performances, Cesc Fabregas will be pushing for a starting slot. He impressed at the Etihad, and he was unlucky not to start against West Brom at the weekend. He could well step in for Nemanja Matic once again. He could replace N’Golo Kante, if Conte decides to rest the Frenchman. We also wouldn’t be surprised to see a little rotation in the wide positions, as they are key, demanding roles which will be tested this month.

Sunderland have a few worries in midfield, with Jack Rodwell and Lee Cattermole both unavailable for this clash. Paddy McNair and Duncan Watmore both miss out; they’re set to spend the rest of the season on the sidelines for the Black Cats. They’ve been finding joy of late with Victor Anichebe and Jermain Defoe up top, but expect them to change for this one. It’s hard to see them playing two strikers against the Blues. Conte’s system tends to pack the midfield, so it should do well against a 4-4-2. It’s hard to see David Moyes giving his opponents that opportunity.

Sunderland Form

Sunderland slipped back to the bottom of the Premier League over the weekend. Their 3-0 defeat at Swansea was a total humiliation for the Black Cats, who had started to climb back up the table. They would have been out of the bottom three with a result in Wales on Saturday. However, they are now propping up the league, which isn’t a position which any side would want to be in coming up to Christmas. The side bottom in December tends to end up dropping down to the Championship.

Sunderland have taken three victories from their last five games, which includes back to back wins at the Stadium of Light. Those have been against Hull and Leicester, two of the worst away sides in the division. Will that be a platform for the Black Cats to build on, or were they just favourable results against teams who tend to suffer defeat on the road anyway? A game against Chelsea isn’t exactly the time to judge that, but it’ll certainly be a much bigger test for Moyes and co than their recent home matches have been. The Blues have won four straight away league matches, conceding just one goal in that time.

Sunderland v Chelsea Head to Head

Chelsea’s recent record against Sunderland is a lot more mixed than it should be. Conte will be looking for his side to avoid a recent trend in these fixtures; the home team have scored three times in the last three encounters. It’s hard to see that happening here, the hosts average just 0.93 goals per game in the Premier league this season. Of course, this is a very different Chelsea side from the one which lost 3-2 in the North East in May last season.

• Sunderland 3-2 Chelsea, May 2016
• Chelsea 3-1 Sunderland, Dec 2015
• Chelsea 3-1 Sunderland, May 2015
• Sunderland 0-0 Chelsea, Nov 2014
• Chelsea 1-2 Sunderland, Apr 2014

Betting Tips

• Chelsea to Win to Nil – 6/5 with Bet365
• Draw/Chelsea HT/FT – 17/5 with BetVictor

Having won nine straight games, Chelsea come into this trip as 3/10 favourites to claim all three points. However, the West Brom game showed that they can be frustrated. They once again impressed at the back, keeping their seventh clean sheet in their last nine league matches. It seems Conte has brought his Italian defensive steel with him to Stamford Bridge.

The Blues have a fantastic defensive record all season, conceding just 11 times in their 15 matches so far. Nine of those goals came in the first six, too. We’ve already mentioned Sunderland’s poor attacking record; we can see them being the latest side to be blunted by this strong Blues backline. We’re also backing this winning run to continue, so we’re going with an away win and clean sheet at 6/5 with Bet365.

While we see a Chelsea win, this won’t be an easy one. Sunderland will still be confident here after their recent home wins, and they’ll be buoyed by West Brom’s display at the Bridge. The Black Cats can keep this one tight early on, with the break through coming in the second half. Sunderland concede 71% of their home goals in the second 45, while Chelsea score 75% of their away goals after half-time. That’s why we’re going for Draw/Chelsea on the half-time/full-time market. It’s well priced at 17/5 with Bet Victor.