Sunderland was once considered a bright candidate for relegation to the Premier League this season. However, the "Black Cats" have surpassed all expectations to enter the final round with the opportunity to compete for a European cup spot.
Before round 38, Sunderland is in the upper half of the table and even ranked above arch-rival Newcastle United, who are currently one place behind them with 2 points. The Wearside team still has a chance to win a ticket to European cups if they defeat Chelsea at home and wait for favorable results from the remaining matches.
Currently, Sunderland is exactly one point behind Chelsea - the team currently holding eighth place, a place in the Conference League play-off round - Brentford also has the same gap with Sunderland and is ready to surpass if Chelsea stumbles.
Regis Le Bris's team can still rise to take Brighton's seventh position to win a ticket to the Europa League. However, that requires Manchester United to defeat Brighton, Liverpool to beat Brentford and Sunderland to complete the task against Chelsea.
However, history is not on the side of the Stadium of Light team. Sunderland has never won both legs against Chelsea in a season since 2001.
The 1-0 victory over Tottenham in the middle of the week helped Chelsea end their 7-match winless streak in the Premier League. However, having to participate in the European third-tier arena next season may not be what The Blues fans want, especially since they once won this tournament in the 2024-2025 season under Enzo Maresca.
Chelsea is currently aiming to win two consecutive victories for the first time since their 3-match winning streak in January and February, when they successively defeated Brentford, Crystal Palace, West Ham and Wolves.
Link to watch live Sunderland vs Chelsea match:
https://fptplay.vn/su-kien/sunderland-chelsea-6a0d62c07517ab50a5c4770c?event=event&type=highlight
