Chelsea v Sunderland Team News and Prediction
Manger quotes, player quotes, team news and prediction ahead of Chelsea v Sunderland in the Premier League.
What the Managers are saying:
Chelsea assistant first team coach Steve Holland – “Experience is always vital in any competition and we have a good blend in our squad. We have many players that haven’t been in this situation before, but also a good group that have. We also have a very experienced manager who has been in this situation before, and it’s good to have that experience at this stage. We’ve got the circumstances we have: this is a club used to playing a lot of matches at this stage of the season.
Sunderland manager Gus Poyet – “Who would have thought Sunderland are maybe going to decide the title one way or another? No-one, eh? We don’t play for anyone apart from ourselves. It’s going to be more of a shock if we beat Chelsea because they have never lost at home under Mourinho in the Premier League. If you think why Sunderland, people would ask why? We will see. The idea is to go and be brave, but not brave in terms of taking risks and being silly. The idea is to be brave playing the way we play, defending how we need to defend and trying to play our football. It doesn’t just depend on what Chelsea are going to do.”
What the Players are saying:
Chelsea defender John Terry – “It’s very tough. It’s very important we keep winning our games”
Sunderland defender Marcos Alonso – “But we just have to keep fighting and get focused for tomorrow and the game against Chelsea. Everton only had a couple of chances, but we went home with zero points. At Man City, again we deserved more, but we just need to concentrate on the small details which can change the game one way or the other.”
Chelsea v Sunderland Team News:
Chelsea’s only worry going into the game is Eden Hazard. The Belgian has not featured since injuring his calf against PSG in the Champions League qualifier second leg.
Sunderland meanwhile will have Ondrej Celustka available following knee injury however Liam Bridcutt (personal reasons), Ki Sung-yueng (knee) and Carlos Cuellar (hamstring) will miss the trip to London.
Long-term injury victims Keiren Westwood (shoulder) and Steven Fletcher (ankle) will once again watch from the stands.
Form & Prediction:
Just like Manchester City last weekend, Chelsea will enter the Easter break with their destiny in their own hands. The brief is simple, win their final four games and they are champions, the only major problem is that Liverpool have the same brief with the duo set to meet next weekend.
Mourinho’s men beat Swansea 1-0 last time out to make it three wins on the trot in all competitions. While the club have struggled away from home, they have been strong on their own turf and have dropped just four points all season.
Sunderland meanwhile pulled off a shock midweek when they drew with Manchester City at the Etihad but it would be a lot to expect another big performance from Poyet’s men.
Prior to that result the club had lost five in a row and they are still without a win in 9 games.
Chelsea to win 3-1 and pile the pressure on Liverpool.
