Chelsea vs Sunderland preview: Team news, line-ups, score prediction
Sunderland travel to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday.
Regis Le Bris has done an excellent job, with Sunderland sitting seventh in the table after eight matches.
Granit Xhaka’s influence as the captain has spread throughout the team, and they head to Stamford Bridge with momentum and confidence behind them.
This is by far Sunderland’s toughest game of the season so far, with fifth-placed Chelsea starting to find form as they look to mount a title charge under Enzo Maresca.
Ahead of Saturday’s clash, Mackem News has provided you with everything you need to know.
Form guide
Chelsea: W, L, W, W, W
Sunderland: D, D, W, L, W
Team news
The big news for Sunderland is that Reinildo’s three-game suspension is finally over.
The Mozambique international should come straight back into the starting lineup at left-back, with Arthur Masuaku struggling to impress when deputising.
This would likely mean that Dan Ballard would drop out of the team, with Trai Hume moving to right-back, and Nordi Mukiele resuming his role at centre-back.
There are no fresh injury concerns for Sunderland, with long-term absentees Romaine Mundle, Habib Diarra, Leo Hjelde, Dennis Cirkin, and Aji Alese still unavailable.
As for Chelsea, Liam Delap, Dario Essugo, Levi Colwill, Cole Palmer, and Benoit Badiashile are not fit for Saturday.
Palmer’s absence is a huge boost for Le Bris, with the influential 23-year-old expected to remain sidelined until December.
- Read more: Sunderland have one of the Premier League’s most consistent players and he’s flying under the radar
Predicted lineups:
Chelsea: Sanchez; James, Chalobah, Acheampong, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Neto, Buonanotte, Estevao, Pedro
Sunderland: Roefs; Hume, Mukiele, Alderete, Reinildo; Xhaka, Sadiki; Talbi, Rigg, Le Fee; Isidor
Prediction: Chelsea 2-1 Sunderland
Chelsea are the clear favourites to beat Sunderland, yet that won’t stop Le Bris from believing that the Black Cats could secure a first win at Stamford Bridge since 2014.
Sunderland’s 2-0 loss away to Man United did show the difference in quality when facing the top teams, and they must adapt to the opposition quicker if they are to get a result against Chelsea.
Having only scored one goal on the road, Sunderland will be hoping to catch the makeshift Chelsea defence on the counter-attack.
| Stat | Sunderland |
| Games played | 4 |
| Wins | 1 |
| Draws | 1 |
| Losses | 2 |
| Goals scored | 1 |
| Goals conceded | 4 |
Saturday’s match will be an almighty task for Le Bris’ men, yet there is no reason why Sunderland’s resolute defence can’t produce another brilliant performance.
Ultimately, a Chelsea win is expected, but with this set of players, anything is possible.
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