Needing nothing short of a minor miracle to replicate their 2025-26 feats against Chelsea, Sunderland host the Blues in Sunday's Premier League fixture at the Stadium of Light.

The Black Cats trail their visitors by 16 places and 11 points in the Premier League table at the time of writing and face Xabi Alonso's well-rested men after a sobering defeat in Europe too.

Match preview

The meeting between two erstwhile Premier League midfield maestros last weekend saw Alonso pile more misery onto Michael Carrick, whose Manchester United side had the better of the opening 45 minutes at Stamford Bridge before an all-too familiar implosion.

Morgan Rogers waltzed his way past a disorganised Red Devils defence to propel the Blues into the lead, before Lisandro Martinez's senseless red card and Cole Palmer's penalty put paid to any hopes of a Mancunian fightback.

Snapping a two-game losing sequence in all competitions and earning their third win from their last four Premier League matches, Chelsea's triumph coupled with Liverpool losing to Arsenal saw the Blues consolidate fourth spot in the rankings, one clear of the Reds and three worse off than Brighton & Hove Albion.

The Blues' sorry defeat to Tottenham Hotspur raised questions about how Alonso's squad can cope in the absence of influential attacker Joao Pedro, but Chelsea answered those critics in gameweek nine to earn their first Premier League home win with a clean sheet since January.

Fifteen goals conceded still makes the visitors the worst defensive unit in the top 10, though, while they have shipped eight in five away games in all tournaments; seven of those came in their first three road matches, though, and they have since allowed just one in their last two on rival turf.

However, Alonso's side now square up to one of the four teams with a worse backline tally than them in the 2026-27 Premier League, and one without Chelsea's colossal firepower to make up for it.

The second season syndrome cliche is very much appropriate for Sunderland, whose measly five-point total places them bottom of the Premier League standings, although 17th-placed Man United are only two points better off.

The Black Cats have shown little signs of survival spirit in recent weeks, though, as last weekend's humbling 3-1 loss to newly-promoted Coventry City marked their fifth defeat from their last six Premier League games and extended their winless run in the division to seven.

Stadium of Light was also awash with boos on Thursday night, when Regis Le Bris's men went down 2-0 to Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League, ending their unbeaten start in the tournament and leading to renewed sack talk.

The Sunderland hierarchy are not minded to remove Le Bris from his post just yet, though, and the Frenchman's focus now turns to repeating last season's shock 2-1 home and away wins against Chelsea, but not since 2001 have the Black Cats bested the Blues in three straight games.

Sunderland Premier League form:

Sunderland form (all competitions):

Chelsea Premier League form:

Chelsea form (all competitions):

Team News

Chelsea boss Alonso confirmed a triple fitness boost in his pre-game press conference, revealing that Emiliano Martinez is in contention to return from his jaw operation, while Aaron Anselmino and Jordan Henderson have battled back from injury and illness respectively.

The latter's presence may be crucial this weekend, as Moises Caicedo missed training earlier this week due to discomfort, and there are no guarantees that he will be fit to face the Black Cats.

Jorrel Hato (unknown), Maxence Lacroix (hamstring) Reece James (knee), Jamie Gittens (ankle) and Joao Pedro (quad) are confirmed absentees for Chelsea, whose playmaking star Cole Palmer will have a particular point to prove this weekend after being omitted from Thomas Tuchel's England squad yet again.

As for a jaded Sunderland side, Omar Alderete serves a one-game ban following his sending-off at Coventry, but Nordi Mukiele should exit concussion protocols in time to deputise for his fellow defender.

Daniel Ballard (hamstring), Habib Diarra (muscle) and Romaine Mundle (knee) will not return before the international break, though, while teenage striker Juan Riquelme Angulo is uncertain due to a contact injury.

Le Bris ripped up his second-string side in midweek, making no fewer than four half-time changes, so expect the likes of Trai Hume, Reinildo, Enzo Le Fee, Noah Sadiki and Brian Brobbey to return here.

Sunderland possible starting lineup:

Roefs; Hume, Mukiele, O'Nien, Reinildo; Xhaka, Sadiki; Rigg, Le Fee, Angulo; Brobbey

Chelsea possible starting lineup:

Penders; Acheampong, Fofana, Colwill, Palestra; Henderson, Lavia; Estevao, Palmer, Rogers; Neto

We say: Sunderland 0-2 Chelsea

Fatigue should not play a significant role for Sunderland on Sunday given the alterations Le Bris made in midweek, but backing the Black Cats to get anything out of any Premier League game at present is a tough ask.

Therefore, even a Pedro-less Chelsea side - working on a full week's worth of rest - should stroll to victory, with an increasingly familiar clean sheet in tow.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.