Sunderland can secure a place in European football when they face Chelsea on the final day of the Premier League season.
Sunderland have taken their unexpected push for European competition to the final day of the season - and all eyes are now on next weekend’s Stadium of Light showdown with Chelsea.
Thoughts of only a second venture into Europe in the club’s history were far from the mind at the start of the campaign when many predicted the Black Cats would do well just to preserve their Premier League status just months after winning the Championship play-off final against Sheffield United. Yet with just 90 minutes remaining in what has already been a memorable first season back in the top flight, Regis Le Bris’ side can secure European football with a win against the Blues if results elsewhere fall in their favour.
Despite the positivity, there was a warning from Le Bris towards his players in the aftermath of Sunday’s win at Everton as he stressed they must remain focused if they are to secure a spot in the top eight.
He said: "It's on but it's not done. The most important from the previous experiences is to stay focused on our standards. When we start dreaming it's a distraction, we had this experience at home a few weeks ago [against Nottingham Forest] and it was painful.” So what are Sunderland’s chances of securing a place in Europe next weekend? We take a look at the latest predicted final Premier League table produced by the stats experts at Opta.
Opta’s predicted final Premier League table
Arsenal manager Mikel Artetaplaceholder image
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta | Getty Images
1st. Arsenal - 83.52 points 2nd. Manchester City - 80.72 points 3rd. Manchester United - 69.19 points 4th. Aston Villa - 62.84 points 5th. Liverpool - 60.78 points 6th. Bournemouth - 57.19 points 7th. Brighton and Hove Albion - 54.53 points 8th. Brentford - 52.95 points 9th. Sunderland - 52.33 points 10th. Chelsea - 52.07 points 11th. Fulham - 50.43 points 12th. Newcastle United - 50.27 points 13th. Everton - 50.23 points 14th. Leeds United - 48.21 points 15th. Crystal Palace - 45.93 points 16th. Nottingham Forest - 44.48 points 17th. Tottenham Hotspur - 40.55 points 18th. West Ham United - 37.49 points 19th. Burnley - 22.71 points 20th. Wolverhampton Wanderers - 20.26 points
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