Premier League preview: Chelsea v Sunderland
What with them top of the table, four points clear and heading for a second successive league title, you’d have thought that Chelsea would be the last place that opposition players would want to visit right now, but not so.
“They don't come much tougher,” admits Sunderland goalkeeper Craig Gordon, “but if I retain my place it will be the very first time I've played at Stamford Bridge. Hopefully I will get the chance, it seems I've always missed out through injury or whatever. I’d love to play there.”
Ask him again at six o’clock on Sunday evening.
With six wins from six in the Premier League and no goals conceded, Chelsea have turned Stamford Bridge into a fortress. The Mackems become the latest team to try and storm it on Sunday, and fresh from a successful trip to the capital that garnered a point from Tottenham’s White Hart Lane, that’s exactly what they think they can do.
“Maybe the result at Spurs takes some pressure off but we still want to get something, of course,” continued Scottish international Gordon.
“We know we will have to play really well to get anything, but our second-half performance at Spurs will give us some confidence. We will just go there and try to play our football. With the exception of the game we don't want to talk about, overall the start of the season has been pretty good for us.”
That game he doesn’t want to mention is exactly the game that Newcastle fans will be talking about for decades, and although Sunderland’s scars from the 5-1 derby defeat at St. James’ Park two weeks ago may never truly heal, the form of Ghanaian striker Asamoah Gyan – who has deputised for the injured Darren Bent with three goals in two games – does at least give them something to smile about. With Bent still out, Gyan will need to be at his best to get the better of Gordon’s opposite No. 1.
“It is a dangerous game,” said Petr Čech, “because usually they are quite tough to play when they are away from home.
“They have good players and have been together for some time now. They will be dangerous on the counter-attack and this is another game where they will expect to be defending and waiting for counter-attack opportunities so we know we have to be ready for that.
“We try to score goals and are attacking, so sometimes there will be some space open at the back and we need to deal with that.
“This season every game is dangerous, we can see other teams dropping points against mid-table teams. It's tough, you need to do things well to get three points every time. We're not conceding goals which is a big help, so we know that to score one goal gives you three points.”
One goal was enough for the three points against Fulham in midweek, but since that game the headlines have been made by the sacking of Ray Wilkins as assistant manager.
It was a shock, and while the reasons for it have yet to be revealed, the absence of Wilkins from the dugout will be unlikely to distract Chelsea from their ultimate goal of recording three points on Sunday.
More damaging is surely the losses of the still injured Frank Lampard and the suspended Michael Essien, with the pair sorely missed in last weekend’s defeat at Anfield, where Liverpool’s two-man central midfield of Steven Gerrard and Lucas overran the Chelsea trio of John Obi Mikel, Ramires and Yuri Zhirkov.
The Blues are at home now though, and so will rightly be overwhelming favourites.
Gordon might be relishing the prospect of playing at Stamford Bridge, but after Sunday he might not want to go back in a hurry.
Prediction: Chelsea 3 Sunderland 0
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