Sunderland end their Premier League campaign against Chelsea at the Stadium of Light on Sunday afternoon
Régis Le Bris has made one change to his Sunderland side to face Chelsea on the final day of the Premier League campaign.
As expected, Omar Alderete misses out on the starting XI due to a hip issue which means Luke O’Nien returns to the starting XI. O’Nien impressed off the bench in a 3-1 win over Everton last weekend, securing his place in the side today. However, Sunderland have been handed something of a boost after Alderete was passed fit to take his place on the bench and play a part in the latter stages if required.
Chemsdine Talbi misses out on the squad entirely due to a muscle injury, meaning that Nilson Angulo retains his place on the left flank from the start. Talbi’s absence sees Bertrand Traoré return to the matchday squad for the first time since the 1-0 win over Leeds in March.
Sunderland XI: Roefs; Geertruida, Mukiele, O’Nien, Reinildo; Xhaka, Sadiki; Hume, Le Fee, Angulo, Brobbey
Subs: Ellborg, Isidor, Mayenda, Cirkin, Alderete, Ta Bi, Traore, Rigg, Diarra
Chelsea have been boosted by the return of Joao Pedro to the starting XI after a minor injury saw him miss the 2-1 win over Spurs. Reece James returns to the bench and Levi Colwill to the starting XI in what is a strong selection from interim boss Calum McFarlane.
While some fans had wondered whether Le Bris might bring in a more attacking player on the right flank, Le Bris made clear in his pre-match press conference that he felt Hume had been a key part of the recent form that had kept Sunderland’s hopes alive heading into the final day of the campaign.
"First of all, Trai is a great player," Le Bris said.
"He's not only a great player, he's a strong teammate with a great character. In a game, to gain control, you also have to defend well. For example, against Everton, we didn't see Ndiaye because we controlled Ndiaye really well. If we remove this threat from him with Lucha and with Trai, we can have more control. But maybe with another player, I won't say a winger or someone else, we'll control this threat less and we'll have less control, concede more chances and so on.It's a dynamic and hard to explain and to anticipate. After that, our wingers, so Chems won't be available this weekend for example, are still a bit immature. So in this league, it's a question of balance. Nilson played against Everton, still needs time to develop, so it's a question of balance.
“It's not only for defensive output," he added.
"It's also because he's really versatile and gives us a balance, and it's rare at that level to have this kind of player. He can play left-back, right-back, even centre-back, back-three, probably in the back-four. He can play right-back, he can play right-winger, he can play midfielder. He can play everywhere. He's always smart and well-connected with the squad. So, impressive. He might have weaknesses in the final third, but he's so impressive elsewhere."
What needs to happen for Sunderland to secure European qualification today
A quick reminder of what needs to happen for Sunderland to qualify for Europe today.
First and foremost, they have to beat Chelsea. Because of their inferior goal difference to Brentford, there’s no scenario in which a draw will do the job. They have to win.
They can then get into Europe in the following scenarios:
- If Brentford fail to beat Liverpool at Anfield, Sunderland would qualify for the Conference League
- If Brentford beat Liverpool but Brighton lose at home to Manchester United, Sunderland would qualify for the Conference League
- If Brentford fail to beat Liverpool AND Brighton lose at home to Manchester United, Sunderland would qualify for the Europa League
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