English Premier
2012-01-14 - Chelsea vs Sunderland
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Saturday 14 January 2012 - Kick Off 3pm
Chelsea
Chelsea are facing a fight for their Champions League place that the fans may have considered their right ever since Roman Abramovich took over as the owner of the club. Andre Villa-Boas has had a tough introduction to life at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea are going through a slight transitional period.
The Blues are 4th in the Premier League table, 11 points behind Manchester City at the top of the pile and already 8 points behind Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur. That means they could be fighting with Arsenal and Liverpool for the 4th Champions League place, particularly on current form. Chelsea are 6-1-3 at Stamford Bridge this season, scoring 23 goals and conceding 16.
Chelsea have struggled since beating Manchester City 2-1 here, gaining just 6 points from their last 15 available in the League. They have failed to win their last 2 Premier League games at home, the last out those being a very surprising 1-3 loss to Aston Villa. The Blues have really been struggling here of late, losing 4 of their last 9 games in all competitions.
Michael Essien returned to action in a reserve team game this week, but won't be back in the first team until Norwich City next week at the earliest. Branislav Ivanovic and Florent Malouda look to miss out with injuries, while Salomon Kalou and Didier Drogba are both at the African Cup of Nations.
Sunderland
Martin O'Neill has shown his man-management abilities in his short time at the Stadium of Light and has helped Sunderland move away from the relegation zone as well as providing new expectations for the fans that had begun to desert the team under the management of Steve Bruce.
Recent results has seen Sunderland move into the top half of the table as they now sit in 10th place in the Premier League. They have a 3-2-5 record away from home in the League, scoring 13 goals and conceding 12, leaving only 4 teams that have conceded less goals on their travels so far.
Sunderland have picked up 13 points from the 18 available since O'Neill has taken charge at the club, and that includes a win over Manchester City. The Black Cats have won their last 3 away games in all competitions, although their only loss under O'Neill has come at Tottenham Hotspur. Interestingly, Sunderland have not lost a game by more than 1 goal away from home this season.
Wes Brown looks set to miss this contest, while Titus Bramble is also a major doubt. Kieran Westwood is available again, but Simon Mignolet is expected to continue in goal.
Head to Head
Chelsea were stunned here last season when Sunderland came away with a 0-3 win.
The Blues had actually won their last 6 home games against Sunderland before that loss.
Chelsea have also won 13 of the last 14 games between these sides overall, including a 1-2 win at the Stadium of Light earlier this season.
Prediction
This has become a much tougher test for Chelsea than it would have been a few weeks ago and we have all seen what a bit of confidence has done for this Sunderland side.
The Black Cats look much more positive and belief is very high in the camp and they must feel they can get something from a side that has struggled to reach the heights at home.
Chelsea are without Didier Drogba for this game, so that means there is a lot of pressure on Fernando Torres to rediscover the form that had made him one of the most feared strikers in Europe back in 2009. Chelsea have also been suspect defensively all season so this could be a tough encounter for them.
However, the home team have had a lot of success against Sunderland in recent years so they will believe they can get a result against them. I do think Chelsea are capable of gaining the 3 points in the game, although I think it could be a tight affair.
Sunderland have not been beaten by more than 1 goal in any game this season and have already visited Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur. The 3.75 on offer that they are beaten by just 1 goal here looks too good to miss out.
The Pick :
Chelsea 2-1 Sunderland
FIXED ODDS BETTING TIP :
I'll back English Handicap Draw (Chelsea to win by 1 Goal) @ 3.75 (Ladbrokes)
