Sunderland will face Chelsea at the Stadium of Light on Sunday afternoon.
It all comes down to this one game as Sunderland round off a memorable season with a home clash against Chelsea on Sunday afternoon.
The Black Cats have surpassed all expectations this season and know they can land a place in European competition for only the second time in their history with a win over the Blues if results elsewhere go their way. Few had expected the final game of the season to have such high stakes placed on it and Regis Le Bris and his players look to secure Sunderland’s highest league finish since 2001.
Facing the Chelsea will be a sizeable test with the Blues also looking to secure a place in European competition as they prepare for new manager Xabi Alonso to take charge this summer. But how do the two clubs compare?
How do Sunderland compare with Chelsea? Sunderland and Chelsea squad value
For all of the remarkable progress Sunderland have made since securing their long-awaited return to the Premier League, there is little surprise to discover Chelsea’s squad value is significantly higher than the Black Cats. According to the stats experts at TransferMarkt, the Blues’ current squad value sits at €1.16bn, which sits behind Manchester City (€1.31bn) and newly crowned champions Arsenal (€1.23bn) as the third highest in the Premier League. By contrast, Sunderland’s squad value with Transfermarkt is €381.95m and that sits as the fifth lowest in the top flight of English football. For further comparison, Sunderland’s highest-valued player is Habib Diarra at €32m and that is over three times lower Chelsea and England star Cole Palmer, who is valued at €110m.
Sunderland & Chelsea form
Few had expected Sunderland to be sitting just one point and two places behind Chelsea with just one game remaining in the season. But this is where things stand as the two sides prepare to meet at the Stadium of Light this weekend - and it is the Black Cats that will head into the game in better form. Based on results over the last ten games, Regis Le Bris’ side have claimed 15 points, which is the eighth best record in the Premier League. Chelsea have one of the worst records over the same time period, with just seven points from their last ten games.
xG
There is one area where Chelsea are significantly outperforming Sunderland - although the league positions of the two sides shows just how little this means. Expected goals (xG) has become one of the go-to statistics when it comes to assess the quality of attacking play and chances created - and Chelsea’s average xG across the season of 1.56 goals is the fifth best in the Premier League. Sunderland’s xG sits at 1.20, which is the third worst in the division.
Sunderland home record v Chelsea away record
This could offer Sunderland a warning sign as they look to land a win and a place in European competition. The Stadium of Light has been a stronghold for Sunderland this season with Le Bris’ men claiming 30 points from their 18 home games during the season. For all of their struggles to find consistency this season, Chelsea have the third best away record in the league with 26 points from 18 games on the road.
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