Overview
The summer of strong reforms after returning to the Premier League once made Sunderland considered a bright candidate for relegation. However, the "Black Cats" have surpassed all predictions to enter the final round with the opportunity to compete for a European cup spot.
Before round 38, Sunderland was in the upper half of the table and even ranked above their 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.
In the most ideal scenario, Regis Le Bris's team can still rise to 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.
However, this season is opening up a special opportunity for them to end that, especially when Chelsea may not be too keen on a Conference League spot next season.
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.
In the opposite direction, if they defeat Sunderland and Brighton do not win against Man United, Chelsea will climb to seventh place.
Premier League history has shown that Chelsea has benefited significantly by not having to divide their strength for the European arena, like the 2016-2017 championship season under Antonio Conte. Conversely, they experienced an unstable 2023-2024 season even though they only played one match per week under Mauricio Pochettino.
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.
However, away form is still a big problem for the London team. Chelsea has not won at the opponent's home ground since the 4-1 victory over Aston Villa in early March. This makes it difficult for fans to be completely assured before the away trip to Stadium of Light.
Personnel situation
Sunderland are waiting for an assessment of Omar Alderete's condition before welcoming Chelsea, after this center-back had to leave the field from the 23rd minute in the 3-1 victory over Everton last weekend.
Meanwhile, Romaine Mundle, Bertrand Traore and Simon Moore are likely to continue to be absent due to injury. Dan Ballard is also unable to play when he has to serve the last match on a 3-match suspension.
On Chelsea's side, besides Joao Pedro, Enzo Fernandez is the most prominent factor. The Argentine midfielder scored the opening goal and assisted in the London derby, bringing the total contribution to goals this season to 14, including 10 goals and 4 assists.
After missing the match against Spurs, Reece James is likely to return to the squad in the final round. Trevoh Chalobah is also expected to start in the defense.
Expected lineup:
Sunderland: Roefs, Geertruida, Mukiele, O'Nien, Mandava, Xhaka, Sadiki, Hume, Le Fee, Angulo, Brobbey.
Chelsea: Sanchez, James, Chalobah, Colwill, Cucurella, Caicedo, Santos, Neto, Palmer, Fernandez, Joao Pedro.
The match between Sunderland and Chelsea takes place at 10:00 p.m. on May 24 (Vietnam time).
