Sunderland vs Chelsea prediction

This has banana skin written all over it for Chelsea. Sunderland have been unbeaten at home through the spring and already beat the Blues 2-1 at Stamford Bridge earlier this season — they don't fear Chelsea, they've beaten them on their own turf. Chelsea roll into the Stadium of Light carrying a significant injury list. Estevao Willian is out, Joao Pedro and Levi Colwill are carrying knocks, and the squad is thin enough to matter on a long away trip. That is not the profile you want heading into a hostile ground on the final day. Sceptics will point to Dan Ballard's suspension and Chelsea's squad depth — valid factors, and the dissenting view is worth acknowledging. But one missing defender doesn't derail a side playing its best football of the season in front of a partisan crowd with genuine points on the line. One point separates these teams. Sunderland are fighting for table position, not going through the motions, and that combination tends to drag sides past their ceiling when the whistle blows. Back Sunderland or the draw — Chelsea grinding out an away win against this form, this motivation, and this many absentees is asking too much, and that is exactly where sharp bettors get hurt.