Sunderland v. Chelsea Preview: Black cats look to climb up table
Sunderland will aim to climb off the bottom of the Premier League table when host Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday.
The blues meanwhile will look to secure position in the top four with a win.
Both sides are missing key players, and will hope to head into the international break with a win.
Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso said his side are, “focussed on our things, on Chelsea things and how to do better.”
Form Guide
Sunderland will start Sunday’s game bottom of the Premier League, and at least two points from safety.
Regis Le Bris’ side haven’t won any of their last seven league games, since a 1-0 win at home to Fulham on August 30th.
They also suffered a 2-0 home defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League on Thursday.
Le Bris said after the match that, “Sometimes you go on a poor run, but we are still competitive, the players tried until the end.”
Chelsea beat Manchester United 2-0 last Saturday to move back into the Premier League’s top four.
This was a vital win for the blues following a disappointing defeat to Tottenham in the league, and their elimination from the Carabao Cup by Liverpool.
Head-to-Head
Sunderland won both their matches against Chelsea last season to record a first league double over the blues since the 2000-01 season.
A late winner from Chemsdine Talbi gave the black cats a 2-1 win at Stamford Bridge in October 2025, before a first-half strike from Trai Hume and an own goal from Chelsea’s Malo Gusto helped Sunderland repeat the scoreline at home in May.
Team News
Sunderland will be without first-choice centre-back partnership Dan Ballard and Omar Alderete, due to Ballard’s hamstring injury, and Alderete’s suspension following the red card he received in last Saturday's defeat to Coventry.
Left-winger Ryan Mundle is also expected to miss out due to a knee injury, while centre-forward Brian Brobbey returned from a hamstring injury against Zagreb.
Chelsea meanwhile have lost their first-choice striker, Joao Pedro, and centre-back, Maxence Lacroix, to hamstring injuries.
Club captain Reece James is still recovering from knee surgery, while goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez is recovering from the broken jaw he suffered in Chelsea’s 2-0 win away at Everton.
Left-back Jorrel Hato is also likely to be absent from the side.
Predicted Starting 11s:
Sunderland (4-2-3-1): Robin Roefs, Reinildo Mandava, Kevin Danso, Luke O’Nien, Trai Hume, Noah Sadiki, Granit Xhaka, Nilson Angulo, Enzo Le Fee, Chris Rigg, Brian Brobbey.
Chelsea (4-2-4): Mike Penders, Marco Palestra, Levi Colwill, Wesley Fofana, Josh Acheampong, Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia, Pedro Neto, Morgan Rogers, Cole Palmer, Estevao.
Match Prediction
Sunderland’s league form has been awful this season, while Chelsea’s has been very changeable.
Brobbey’s return will boost the home side, but Chelsea have a much deeper squad to draw from, along with creative players who can make a difference at any time.
Chelsea’s attacking talent should break Sunderland down.
Sunderland 1-3 Chelsea
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