Sunderland host Chelsea on Sunday in their final fixture before the November international break, with under-pressure manager Regis Le Bris desperate for a positive result. The Black Cats have collected just five points from their opening nine Premier League matches and sit bottom of the table.

Meanwhile, Chelsea are fourth after beating Manchester United last weekend, but Sunderland should not be intimidated by their opponents’ position. Le Bris’ side have already shown they know how to exploit one of the Blues’ biggest weaknesses, and they will be hoping to do so again at the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland can exploit Chelsea’s have a weakness against deep defensive blocks

Chelsea have some of the most dangerous attackers in the Premier League. Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers, Pedro Neto and Estevao Willian are all capable of causing serious problems when given space. Xabi Alonso’s side are particularly dangerous on the counter-attack, but they have struggled to break down deep defensive blocks for some time.

The Blues can also leave themselves vulnerable to counter-attacks, as Manchester United demonstrated several times last weekend. Michael Carrick’s side created some good opportunities and could easily have scored more than once.

Sunderland have already exploited that weakness twice. In October last season, the Black Cats travelled to Stamford Bridge and secured a dramatic 2-1 victory thanks to a last-minute winner from Chemsdine Talbi. Chelsea enjoyed 68% possession and registered 16 shots, but managed just 0.9 expected goals (xG).

Regis Le Bris’ side repeated the trick in May, beating Chelsea 2-1 on the final day of the season to secure Europa League qualification. Despite playing with 10 men for the final half-hour, the Londoners still enjoyed 56% possession but recorded just 0.89 xG, compared to Sunderland’s 1.84.

Chelsea’s struggles against organised opposition were also evident in their other meetings with newly promoted teams last season:

The Blues have already shown signs of the same problem this season, throwing away a two-goal lead in their 2-2 draw against Hull City. Sunderland must therefore go into Sunday’s game knowing they have the tools to trouble Chelsea again. If the Black Cats remain organised, deny the visitors space and take their chances on the counter-attack, another upset is far from impossible.