After a thumping victory in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, Chelsea will look to make it five wins in a row across all competitions as Sunderland head to the capital.
Match News and Current Form
Chelsea were at their sparkling best against Ajax on Wednesday, taking full advantage of an early red card to run out 5-1 winners in a game that saw the Blues become the first team in competition history to see three teenagers score in a single match. It was also a fourth consecutive victory for Enzo Maresca’s men, two of which came in the Premier League to keep them on the heels of the early pacesetters. Amid a defensive injury crisis, it’s Chelsea’s attackers who are shining brightly, with only Manchester City netting more than their 16 top-flight goals this term.
A considerable challenge therefore awaits newly-promoted Sunderland, who’ve made their best start to a Premier League campaign at this stage since 1999/2000. A 2-0 defeat to Manchester United before the international break threatened to derail the Black Cats’ strong start, but they responded by beating Wolves by the same scoreline to retain a remarkable pre-round top seven position in the table. Staying there will likely require Régis Le Bris’ men to improve on the road as they’ve won just one of their last seven away league outings, scoring just two goals during that time.
Head-to-Head History
After winning four of the first six Premier League H2Hs (L2), Sunderland have won just three of the last 26 meetings in the competition (D2, L21).
Win ProbabilityOpta by StatsPerform
Hot Stats and Streaks
Only Manchester City (34) have earned more home Premier League points in 2025 than Chelsea (33).
Pre-round, Chelsea have scored a joint-league high eight goals from set-pieces this season (excluding penalties).
Sunderland are unbeaten in their last 13 away league games against London sides (W4, D9).
A pre-round joint-league low two of Sunderland’s eight Premier League games this season have seen both teams score.
Key Players to Watch and Missing Players
All seven of Moisés Caicedo’s scoring appearances for Chelsea have seen them avoid defeat (W5, D2), including four this season (W3, D1). Nordi Mukielenetted his first goal for Sunderland last time out, though six of his last nine strikes have come away from home.
Chelsea remain without a number of key players, including Cole Palmer, while Malo Gusto is suspended after his red card last week. Sunderland can finally welcome Reinildo Mandavaback from suspension here.
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Betting Analysis
As Chelsea have won ten of their last 13 home league games (D2, L1), six of which came without reply, a home win with a clean sheet looks appealing.
