Sunderland vs Chelsea Match preview

England - Premier League: Sunderland vs Chelsea

Sunderland enter the final round two points clear of the relegation zone but they need to beat Chelsea in order to be sure of survival. Chelsea have got absolutely nothing to play for at the Stadium of Light but they will definitely try to beat Sunderland.

The Black Cats are still not safe

Sunderland have made big progress under Ricky Sbragia and they seemed to be heading for safety after the good run of results after the winter break, but the latest downtrend in form saw them slip back into the dangerous zone. The Black Cats had a good opportunity to allay all relegation fears last weekend against Portsmouth and they seemed to be on the right way when Kenwyne Jones scored the opener just before the hour mark. However, they conceded three goals in the final thirty minutes and will now have to fear for the outcome of the season. Sunderland are two points clear of Newcastle and one point clear of Hull, which means that they will definitely stay up if they beat Chelsea. However, that is not going to be easy even if Hiddink rests some of the starters in this match. Sunderland will stay up even if they lose to Chelsea but only if Newcastle fail to beat Aston Villa in Birmingham. Ricky Sbragia faces some selection problems as Steed Malbranque is struggling to be fit for the Chelsea game, while George McCartney has started training after recovering from injury but he is unlikely to be risked in such an important match as he still lacks the match fitness. Craig Gordon and Nyron Nosworthy are also out with injuries, but other than this, Sbragia will have full squad to choose from.

Guus Hiddink is leaving

Chelsea have played great football ever since Guus Hiddink replaced Luis Felipe Scolari and no wonder that the players, fans and everybody at the club want the Dutchman to stay at the helm. However, that is not going to happen even though Hiddink himself admitted to having second thoughts about his future at the club. The boss said farewell to the Stamford Bridge crowd after the win over Blackburn and he will leave the club after the FA Cup final on 30th May. Before that, the Blues will play Sunderland away in a match which could decide the third team to go down. Even though Sunderland need a win to stay alive, we don’t think that Chelsea will let them, and we expect a very serious approach from the visitors. The FA Cup final match will be played six days later, which is more than enough time for the players to recover. Therefore, we believe that Hiddink will field a very strong team and that would make them hot favourites for the win. The players will be looking to create a good introduction before the FA Cup match with Everton and we wouldn’t be surprised if they win the game.

Betting verdict

Sunderland will have much bigger motivation than their opponents, hence the high odds on away win. Chelsea are undoubtedly much stronger team and we expect them to win the game, which is bound to happen if they play seriously. The odds on Chelsea are really great and our advice is to take them.

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Our tip: Bet 5 on Away win
Odds +105 at
Bookmaker: BetCRIS

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