Had you told us at the start of the year that the match between Sunderland and Chelsea would only matter to one of these two teams, we'd probably tell you that the Black Cats were the ones trying to play the roles of the spoilers. Instead, Chelsea is just stuck in the middle of the table while Sunderland tries to claw its way out of the relegation zone. What once looked like an impossible feat in this match for Sunderland now looks incredibly manageable.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Sunderland +183
Chelsea +146
Draw +251
Over/Under 2.5 (over -125)
ODDS ANALYSIS
Sunderland enters this week a point back of Newcastle with a match in hand for the last safe spot in the league. Norwich City is still in this fight as well, but Sunderland certainly has the look of the best of the three teams hoping to survive for one more season in the top flight.
The pressure building on this match is why the Black Cats are basically on terms with Chelsea. The Blues are the slight favorites at +146, but a price of +183 on Sunderland isn't far off.
The total is a bit higher than average for this time of year at 2.5 and -125 vig on the over.
KEY INJURIES
Guus Hiddink's last few matches at Chelsea have been interesting, as he's been giving some of the younger squad players a chance to shine. Kurt Zouma and Loic Remy are both out of the lineup due to injury, but those are really the only concerns.
Sunderland actually has a clean bill of health for the run-in.
LIVE BETTING
What's really left in the tank here for Chelsea? That's the big question which begs to be asked. The team wasn't the better one on the pitch against Tottenham on Monday, but the Blues celebrated as if they won the Premier League when they knocked the Spurs out from contention once and handed the title to Leicester City. Chelsea does have a 4-1 road win at Bournemouth to its credit, but aside from that, the results are pretty shockingly bad at the end of the campaign.
Sunderland isn't doing a lot of losing, but it isn't doing a lot of winning either. The team has draws in six of its last nine matches. The one win in that stretch was pivotal, a 3-0 victory at Norwich City which probably will end up being the difference separating these teams at the end of the campaign. The Black Cats have drawn two straight against Stoke City and Arsenal.
QUICK PICK
Sam Allardyce knows that this is the game his team has to have to shake free of Norwich and Newcastle, and we think he's going to go and get it.
The most underrated facet of Sunderland's play of late is its defense. Patrick Van Aanholt, John O'Shea and the rest at the back have played fantastic, and Vito Mannone is shutting the door in the box for good measure.
Chelsea has been stymied time and time again this year in matches like this, and it might happen again on Saturday morning. The Blues drew their Super Bowl last week against Tottenham, and now they can just coast the rest of the way with nothing else to worry about. Unfortunately for Newcastle and Norwich City, their lack of care is going to spell the end of their time in the Premier League in all likelihood.
Barclays Premier League Odds: Sunderland 1, Chelsea 0
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here, so start betting with BookMaker today! The fixture between Sunderland and Chelsea will take place at 10:00 a.m. ET on Saturday, May 7, 2016 at the Stadium of Light. The game will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Network.
