Chelsea v Sunderland Betting – Premier League Saturday

Premier League Leaders Chelsea have probably been welcoming the break from action due to the weather. They have not pulled on their boots since January 3rd’s 5-0 thumping of Watford in the FA Cup Third Round. Their season has been spluttering a bit since a long run of fantastic form which elevated them to the top of the Premier League tree, and this break has allowed Nicolas Anelka to recover fully from a hamstring problem. This is incredibly important to the ambitions of the Blues in January, as other strikers Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou are away on African Cup of Nations business, leaving Chelsea light on experience up front. There have been many rumours flying around the back pages about Chelsea signing one half of German side Wolfsburg’s deadly duo, Edin Dzeko, which would be something of a great coup for the club. As of yet, that just remains as rumours.

With Michael Essien and John Obi Mikel missing, Chelsea will be feeling the pinch on their playing staff during January, and they can ill afford injuries. Influential midfielder Deco has been on the fringe of action because of injury, and with Michael Essien missing, arguably the Chelsea midfield is not as strong as it could be. A month ago, this would have perhaps been a tougher match for Chelsea, when Sunderland were looking a stronger side with Darren Bent banging in the goals. Sunderland though have been on a drastic slide, only managing to pick up one win in their last eight Premier League matches. Sunderland boss Steve Bruce has flown his players off to sunny climes to shake off the winter blues, hoping that some Portuguese air will inject a spark back into their play.

Such are things at the top of the league this season, Chelsea’s slip ups have gone unpunished by nearest rivals Manchester United and Arsenal. United were held to a draw at Birmingham last weekend, which meant that they missed the chance to go top. Instead they have allowed Chelsea to remain one point ahead with a game in hand. Arsenal also failed to take their chances as they drew against Everton, when a win could have put them level on points with second placed United, maintaining a game in hand over them still. So any three of the top three could be at the head of the class come the end of the weekend.

These are the games which Carlo Ancelotti needs to win with the least amount of fuss, and against Sunderland, they have an excellent record as can be seen in the stats below. After their break, they need to start building momentum again for the second half of the season. Just how many more let-offs they will be allowed by the chasing pair of Manchester United and Arsenal remains to be seen. Because the weather helped them by having their match against Hull cancelled, Chelsea will now only have to face Birmingham in the league on the 27th, while Drogba and co are away playing for their countries. That rounds off some good news for the Blues who have really strong title ambitions, but just need to find that ruthless touch again.

BETTING STATS

Last 5 Head to Head
Sunderland 1, Chelsea 3
Sunderland 2, Chelsea 3
Chelsea 5, Sunderland 0
Sunderland 0, Chelsea 1
Chelsea 2, Sunderland 0

Last 5 Match Goals
Chelsea – 8 For, 6 Against
Sunderland – 7 For, 10 Against

Last 10 Matches Form
Chelsea – W6, D3, L1
Sunderland – W1, D4, L5

Win Percentage
Chelsea have a 90.0 win percentage at home this season
Sunderland have a 10.00 win percentage away from home this season

Match Prices
Chelsea to win: 1/4 at Victor Chandler
Draw: 5/1 at bwin
Sunderland to win: 14/1 at 888Sport

Betting Advice: Yes, Chelsea should win this one. Yes Chelsea really need to win this one. The longer they can stay ahead of United with a game in hand, the more likely the Premier League title will be going to Stamford Bridge at the end of the season. The fixture pile up may hit Chelsea, and adversely affect them at some point, especially with Manchester United out of the FA Cup. But United do have  a two-leg Carling Cup semi final to play against Manchester City in the immediate future, so Chelsea will be hoping that takes more out of their challengers for the title. Chelsea beat Sunderland at the Stadium of Light earlier in the season, and if they can negotiate their way to a nice victory, bolstered by the goal fest they put on against Watford, it could mean they are over a big hurdle in what could have been a troublesome January. One thing you’ll also notice is the abundance of goals in the matches between the two sides, so it’s worth taking an over 2.5 goals bet.
Over 2.5 Goals: 4/6 at SkyBet
Sunderland +1.5 Asian Handicap – 7/10 at Paddy Power