Chelsea will be looking to continue their good formplaceholder image
Chelsea will be looking to continue their good form | Getty Images
A look at the pundit predictions for Chelsea’s Premier League clash with Sunderland.
Chelsea return to premier League action on Saturday when they face a Sunderland side that has surprised many this season. Many expected the Black Catts to be the weaker of the promotion sides, but they are currently the strongest, and by some way, sitting in seventh after their win over Wolves last time out.
Chelsea come into this one on the back of a comfortable 5-1 win over 10-man Ajax in the Champions League, and that follows Premier League wins over Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. As the Blues prepare to face Sunderland, we have rounded up the pundit predictions from BBC Sport’s Chris Sutton and SportsKeeda’s Paul Merson.
Chris Sutton
“This fixture does not hold too many good memories for me, because my Chelsea debut was against the Black Cats in 1999. They are terrible memories, actually, because I missed a couple of one-on-ones but at least it was a good team performance and I still got a win bonus... although thinking about it, they should have taken that off me.
“I am going for another Chelsea win this time too, even though Joao Pedro is in my Fantasy team and he is not scoring. They made lots of changes against Ajax on Wednesday but still won so emphatically. Enzo Maresca's side were not as convincing when they beat Forest last weekend and the 3-0 scoreline flattered them a bit, but after a bit of a wobble in September, they have now won four in a row in all competitions.
“Sunderland are extremely well organised but I'd still fancy Chelsea to find a way through - which is probably bad news for Blues supporters. I don't want to sound too negative about how my predictions are going, but I got Sunderland wrong every week even when I was doing well, and at the moment I am doing badly.
“I am going to write the Black Cats off again now though because I think we are already at the stage where their fans want me to. They know it means there is a good chance of them winning. Prediction**:** 2-0.”
Paul Merson
“I was at Stamford Bridge for the game against Ajax in the Champions League. It was a really young Chelsea team and I thought they did great in that 5-1 win. But when I look back at Chelsea's 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest last Saturday, I think they were really fortunate. Forest had a lot of chances in that game.
“Sunderland basically have a free swing at Chelsea this weekend and that makes it a dangerous game for the hosts. Everyone will be expecting Chelsea to win at Stamford Bridge and that could work in favour of Sunderland, if they can punch above their weight like they've done all season. Sunderland are just six wins away from staying up in the Premier League and I think they will do it quite comfortably.
“What I noticed about Chelsea in their win over Ajax is that when Moises Caicedo came off, they were cut open through the middle like knife through butter. It just shows how good he is and no matter what happens, Caicedo has to play every week for Chelsea. I don't put Declan Rice in that holding midfielder role because Martin Zubimendi plays there for Arsenal. So I can confidently say that Caicedo is the best in the world in that position at the moment. I can't remember the last time he had a bad game. The biggest compliment I can give him is that no one even mentions his price-tag anymore!
“Chelsea should start Estevao, Joao Pedro and Pedro Neto as their front-three against Sunderland. Jamie Gittens had his best game in a Chelsea shirt against Ajax but I just think Neto should be first-choice down that flank. As a Chelsea fan, the sooner we put this game behind us, the better because Sunderland are a tough nut to crack. I'm hoping for a hard-fought Chelsea win. Prediction: Chelsea 2-0 Sunderland.”
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