Sunderland faces Chelsea in must-win Premier League finale

With the Premier League season reaching its climax, Sunderland and Chelsea head into their final clash at the Stadium of Light knowing the stakes couldn’t be higher. The Black Cats, fresh from a historic return to the top flight, face a Chelsea side whose ambitions have crumbled under the weight of inconsistency.

Chelsea, once tipped for a Champions League return, now find themselves battling for a Europa Conference spot. Their seven-game winless streak in the league—including six defeats—has exposed deep flaws in a squad built on big-money signings but lacking cohesion. A recent FA Cup final defeat to Manchester City only compounded their struggles, leaving them clinging to an eighth-place finish that would send them into European playoff contention. The Blues’ latest managerial reshuffle, with Calum McFarlane now at the helm, offers little guarantee of immediate improvement.

Sunderland, meanwhile, are enjoying a remarkable renaissance after years in the wilderness. Promoted last season, they’ve defied the odds by sitting tenth, just two points behind seventh place—a potential Europa League berth. Their rise from League One obscurity, orchestrated by owners Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and Juan Sartori, has been fueled by a bold spending spree that brought in stars like Granit Xhaka, Enzo Le Fée, and Brian Brobbey. Under manager Régis Le Bris, the Black Cats have shown they can compete with England’s elite, though a spring slump has left them one point shy of playoff contention.

Match essentials: Sunderland vs Chelsea

When: Sunday, May 24, 2026, at 5:00 PM

Where: Stadium of Light, Sunderland

Referee: Chris Kavanagh

VAR: Active

TV broadcast: CANAL+ Live 6

Live streaming: CANAL+ digital platform

Betting odds (Betclic): Sunderland win @ 3.53 | Draw @ 3.60 | Chelsea win @ 1.97

Sunderland’s path to relevance

Eight years ago, Sunderland were relegated all the way to League One, a nadir captured in the Sunderland ’Til I Die documentary. The club’s revival under Louis-Dreyfus and Sartori has been nothing short of dramatic. After climbing back to the Championship in 2022, they secured Premier League promotion in May 2025 by beating Sheffield United in the playoffs. Their summer 2025 transfer window saw over €100 million spent on reinforcements like Nordi Mukiele, Nilson Angulo, and the towering Brian Brobbey, transforming them from plucky underdogs to genuine contenders.

Though a late-season dip saw their European hopes fade, a morale-boosting 3-1 win at Everton last week reignited their ambitions. With just one point separating them from eighth place, a win here could secure their best league finish since 2010-11. A European adventure would be historic: Sunderland’s only prior continental campaign ended in the 1973-74 Cup Winners’ Cup.

Key absences include Simon Moore (injured) and Daniel Ballard (suspended), while Bertrand Traoré and Romaine Mundle remain doubts. Brobbey and Le Fée—both on the scoresheet at Everton—are expected to lead the attack, flanked by the leadership of captain Granit Xhaka.

Projected lineup:

Robin Roefs – Lutsharel Geertruida, Nordi Mukiele, Luke O’Nien, Reinildo Mandava – Granit Xhaka, Noah Sadiki – Trai Hume, Enzo Le Fée, Nilson Angulo – Brian Brobbey

Manager: Régis Le Bris

Chelsea’s slide from grace

Chelsea’s 2025-26 campaign has been a tale of wasted potential. After lifting the Europa Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup under Enzo Maresca last term, they appeared poised for a return to the top. Instead, they’ve collapsed spectacularly. Eliminated by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League round of 16, they’ve since endured their worst run in years—a seven-game winless streak culminating in a humiliating FA Cup final loss to Manchester City.

The club’s chronic instability is no surprise. Since the BlueCo takeover in 2022, managers have come and gone, projects have shifted, and €500 million later, the squad remains a collection of talented individuals incapable of stringing together consistent performances. Maresca’s January exit and the brief tenure of Liam Rosenior—who lasted just five games—highlighted the chaos. Now, with Xabi Alonso set to take over, Chelsea are starting over yet again, with eighth place their meager reward for a season that promised so much.

Recent signs of life—a draw at Liverpool and a victory over Tottenham—have been overshadowed by the cup final defeat. Injuries to Estêvão Willian, Jamie Gittens, and suspensions for Mykhaïlo Mudryk have further weakened the squad. Key performers like Cole Palmer and Enzo Fernández are carrying the load, while João Pedro—despite impressive stats—was overlooked for Brazil’s 2026 World Cup squad.

Projected lineup:

Robert Sánchez – Reece James, Trevoh Chalobah, Levi Colwill, Marc Cucurella – Moisés Caicedo, Andrey Santos – Pedro Neto, Cole Palmer, Enzo Fernández – João Pedro

Manager: Calum McFarlane

Where to watch the Premier League showdown

French viewers can catch Sunderland vs Chelsea live on CANAL+ Live 6 at 5:00 PM on Sunday, May 24, or stream it via the CANAL+ digital platform.

A rivalry defined by contrasts

In 126 meetings across all competitions, Chelsea hold a commanding lead with 61 wins to Sunderland’s 43, and 22 draws. The gap widened dramatically after Roman Abramovich’s 2003 takeover, when Chelsea ascended to European elite while Sunderland endured relegation after relegation. Their most recent clash—Chelsea’s 2-1 win at the Stadium of Light in October—was the first competitive meeting since 2017, a period when Sunderland were mired in League One and Chelsea were rebuilding post-Abramovich.

Sunderland’s victory on that October day carried symbolic weight, signaling their resurgence. This weekend’s clash offers a chance to write another chapter in a rivalry defined by starkly different trajectories—one in ascension, the other in freefall.

Players who’ve worn both jerseys

Over 30 footballers have played for both Sunderland and Chelsea, though their career paths often tell opposite stories. Chelsea, historically a magnet for global stars, have seen many talents drift to Sunderland in later years, sometimes as veterans seeking a final chapter in the Premier League.

Bertrand Traoré is the most recent example. The Burkina Faso international arrived at Chelsea as a teenager from Auxerre in the mid-2010s, touted as a future star. Though he never established himself in London, loan moves to Ajax, Lyon, and Aston Villa kept his career afloat before a permanent switch to Sunderland this season. Injuries and fierce competition have limited his impact, but his experience remains valuable.

Marc Guiu, the promising Spanish striker, was another who moved from Chelsea’s famed La Masia to Sunderland on loan early this season—only to be recalled after Chelsea’s attacking crisis. His brief stay at the Stadium of Light was cut short, but his career trajectory mirrors the fluidity of modern football transfers.

The most successful crossover case is Marcos Alonso. After a stagnant spell at Fiorentina, the Spanish left-back joined Sunderland on loan in 2014. His performances in the Premier League rejuvenated his career, and two years later, Chelsea signed him—where he became a key figure under Antonio Conte, winning the Premier League and later the Champions League under Thomas Tuchel.

Legends like Tore André Flo also bridge the divide. The Norwegian striker dazzled at Chelsea in the late 1990s with his aerial ability and clinical finishing, earning a cult following. His move to Sunderland in the early 2000s was met with excitement, but the Black Cats were in crisis, and the experiment ended in relegation.

The Dutch winger Boudewijn Zenden played for both clubs in the early 2000s. A Barça youth product, he struggled with injuries at Chelsea before finding a role as a leader at Sunderland in his later years, providing a calming influence amid the pressure of a relegation fight.