Sunderland v Chelsea preview

22 May 2009 12:17
Sunderland play host to Chelsea on the final day of the season knowing they must win to guarantee they avoid the drop on 'Survival Sunday'. Ricky Sbragia's side currently hold a two-point cushion over bitter local rivals Newcastle, who occupy the final relegation berth, but have a marginally worse goal difference than the Tyneside outfit. Should Newcastle take all three points from their trip to Aston Villa and Hull City defeat Manchester United at the KC Stadium, then Sunderland would have to beat Chelsea to stay up. But if results elsewhere go in their favour and the Tigers fail to win or the Magpies are beaten, then the Wearsiders will remain in the top flight regardless of how they fare against Guus Hiddink's men. Sunderland had the chance to secure their own status on Monday at Portsmouth, but they threw away the lead seconds after going in front and slipped to a 3-1 reverse. Wearside fans must now hope that Chelsea are distracted by their forthcoming FA Cup final against Everton as Guus Hiddink brings his star-studded and in-form squad to the North East for his final Premier League game at the helm. The Blues have an outside chance of overtaking Liverpool to claim second in the table but must claim all three points on Sunday and hope that the Reds are beaten by Spurs at Anfield, while goal difference is also in the Reds' favour. History and statistics are not in Sunderland's favour, with the Black Cats having never won on the final day in the Premier League, although Chelsea's most recent last-fixture success came at the end of the 2003/04 campaign. And in their last eight league games against the North East club, Chelsea have found the net 21 times, including a 5-0 Stamford Bridge success this season, while Sunderland have breached the Blues defence only twice in their last nine attempts. Midfielder Steed Malbranque could miss out against Chelsea after he sustained a hip injury in the Fratton Park reverse. Sbragia will give the Frenchman every opportunity to prove his fitness, while George McCartney (calf) has returned to training but is unlikely to start. Personal glory is still at stake for Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka as he leads the Premier League's Golden Boot race on 18 alongside Cristiano Ronaldo. The Frenchman, who bagged possibly the easiest hat-trick of his career in the Stamford Bridge rout of the Black Cats back in November, is expected to lead the line alongside Didier Drogba. With a week to go before the FA Cup final at Wembley the following Saturday, Hiddink could stick with the players on duty for the routine 2-0 win over Blackburn last time out. Michael Ballack is available after missing the win over Bolton with flu while defender Ricardo Carvalho and midfielder Deco are also in contention after recovering from hamstring problems. Possible starting XIs: Sunderland: Fulop, Bardsley, Davenport, Ferdinand, Collins, Tainio, Malbranque, Whitehead, Leadbitter, Richardson, Jones. Chelsea: Cech, Bosingwa, Alex, Terry, A Cole, Essien, Mikel, Lampard, Malouda, Drogba, Anelka.

Source: SKY_Sports