Sunderland vs Chelsea Prediction and Betting Tips: Black Cats Pushing For Europe To End Impressive Campaign

After a summer of upheaval following promotion, many tipped Sunderland for an immediate return to the Championship.

Instead, they have exceeded expectations and go into the final day of the season in the top half.

Regis Le Bris’s mid-table team could yet snatch a Europa League or Conference League spot, but they must win to keep those hopes alive.

Sunderland’s best-case outcome is seventh and Europa League football, but it requires a perfect storm.

Manchester United must beat Brighton at the Amex, Liverpool must overcome Brentford at Anfield, and Sunderland must take care of Chelsea on Wearside.

Both sides begin the weekend two places apart, with Sunderland a point behind Chelsea, who currently occupy eighth place for the Conference League.

And while Chelsea supporters might not be thrilled to return to the third tier of European football, a Chelsea victory and a Brighton draw or loss against Man United would take the Londoners above the seventh-placed Seagulls.

*Odds sourced from SportyBet and are correct at the time of publishing. Always gamble responsibly.

Chelsea have been sluggish in attack lately. 

Over the course of the last eight league matches, they’ve scored four goals, the fewest in the entire league. Yet, that doesn’t mean they should be written off in the final third.

Only Manchester City (32) have scored more league goals on the road this term than Chelsea’s 31, while the Blues played a game fewer.

With an average of 1.72 goals per away date, the visitors are expected to trouble the home defence on the final day.

However, their defensive record tells a different story.

Calum McFarlane’s charges failed to keep a clean sheet in each of their last 15 games, as well as in 14 of 18 away matches. Their last 10 consecutive games on the road ended without a clean sheet, and 67% of those matches produced goals at both ends. 

Sunderland will take encouragement from that, especially after putting three past the Toffees last week.

The visitors’ win against Spurs on Tuesday night has likely helped their confidence. 

However, the reality is that the Blues have won just one of their last eight Premier League matches and lost six on the bounce. They haven’t won any of their last three away games on the road in this competition.

That should encourage the home side to fight for the final European spot on Sunday. The Black Cats will create a daunting atmosphere that several teams have failed to overcome this season. 

It’s worth noting that Sunderland have lost just four of their 18 league games at home.

The home side are unbeaten in their last three outings, and their confidence should be high after that Everton win. Additionally, Le Bris’s men won the reverse fixture 2-1, which is an encouraging sign that they can see off Chelsea here. 

However, it won’t be an easy 90 minutes for either side, which is why a stalemate is a realistic prediction for the result.

Sunderland didn't lose at home in the league until February, but they've now lost four of their last six at the Stadium of Light, scoring just twice across those games. 

Chelsea suffered a club-record six defeats in a row without scoring in March and April, a run which saw Liam Rosenior lose his job.

And although things have improved under interim boss Calum McFarlane, they've still only scored once in their last three away games. 

With neither side on fire in front of goal, we're predicting there to be under 3.5 goals.

Roefs; Geertruida, Mukiele, O’Nien, Mandava; Xhaka, Sadiki; Hume, Le Fee, Angulo; Brobbey

Sanchez; James, Chalobah, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Santos; Neto, Palmer, Fernandez; Joao Pedro

The Black Cats are hopeful to have three players back for this final game, with Romaine Mundle, Bertrand Traore and Omar Alderete all hoping to make a return on Wearside.

However, Regis Le Bris will be missing Dan Ballard, who remains suspended after his red card against Wolves.

Joao Pedro is expected to return after a knock kept him out of the game against Tottenham last weekend.

There is also hope that Romeo Lavia and Levi Colwill make a comeback after they were given time to recover after the FA Cup final.

However, Jamie Gittens, Estevao and Jesse Derry are all out for the remainder of the campaign.