Sunderland entertain Chelsea this Saturday afternoon still looking for their first win of the new season. Steve Bruce’s team have just two points and scored one goal in their opening three fixtures and will face an unbeaten opponent that arrives on Wearside on the back of two successive wins. Having lost their only home game of the season, the Black Cats will be second favourites to Andre Villas-Boas’ visitors.
Likely Line-Ups
John O’Shea made his league debut last week and instantly added more solidity to the back-four, as Sunderland picked up their first clean sheet of the season. The Irishman dropped out of international duty due to a calf injury, though, and is considered a doubt for the clash. Titus Bramble should come into the back-four as replacement for the now-departed Anton Ferdinand, while Nicklas Bendtner looks set for his debut and is in good form- he scored both Denmark’s goals in the recent 2-0 win over Norway.
Juan Mata made an instant impact on his Chelsea debut, coming off the bench to score in the 3-1 win over Norwich. Petr Cech may return to replace Hilario in goal after recovering from injury, though Didier Drogba remains a major doubt after suffering from concussion in the Norwich game. Daniel Sturridge has served a three-match suspension and, having impressed in pre-season, is in with a chance of starting at the Stadium of Light.
Key Battles
The Stamford Bridge arrival of Andre Villas-Boas has given Jose Bosingwa a new lease of life. A peripheral figure in the past couple of seasons, the right-back has often been overlooked for the likes of Branislav Ivanovic but his compatriot has re-installed him to the first XI and has been rewarded with a series of attacking displays that have seen Bosingwa as, arguably, Chelsea’s key player over the last few games.
Juan Mata, Villas-Boas’ marquee signing of the summer, took less than half an hour to find the net in his first game and will surely start on the back of an impressive performance. Bringing much-needed flair and creativity to the ranks, Mata will be a crucial component in the new-look Chelsea side this campaign.
Bosingwa’s attacking talents suggest Larsson could well spend much of the game on the back foot and will need to contribute a considerable defensive shift to nullify his threat. Bosingwa has made 2.3 key passes per game, second only to Frank Lampard and Larsson, with just 0.7 interceptions, will need to up his game here. The Chelsea player has also made 2 successful dribbles on average – third for Chelsea- while Larsson has been beaten by 0.7 dribbles per game.
Bosingwa has shown an assuredness in possession and has been dispossessed just 0.3 times per game- Larsson, however, has shown plenty battle, and his 3 tackles is second only to Lee Cattermole (5). Going forward, Larsson has also been dispossessed 0.3 times on average, while Bosingwa has made 1.7 tackles; although his game has been more about attacking so far, it’s still superior to fellow full-back Ashley Cole (1.3).
Larsson has been Sunderland’s second most impressive creative player with an average 2 key passes and Bosingwa will need to stop his supply- so far, he’s managed 1 interception per game. Scorer of his side’s only goal this season, the Swede has averaged 7.25 in WhoScored’s ratings, with Bosingwa on 7.62. This will be an intriguing match-up of two form players.
With John O’Shea an injury doubt, Bardsley could shuffle over to the left-back slot to go head-to-head with Mata. The Spaniard’s sole appearance has seen him play on the right wing for Chelsea and he should continue in this position at the Stadium of Light.
In just under half an hour, Mata’s stats were still eye-catching; he made 1 key pass – Bardsley will need to up his interceptions (1.7) nearer to the level of O’Shea (5) if he’s to stop the Spaniard’s threat. Mata also had 2 shots, scoring 1 goal and Bardsley has managed a mere 0.3 blocked shots per game- again, this doesn’t bode well for the home side.
Mata had 2 successful dribbles on his short debut- in comparison, Bardsley has still to be beaten by a dribble but he’s yet to come face to face with someone of Mata’s qualities and will have a huge test on his hands. Bardsley’s tackle rate (1.7) is third-worst of the Sunderland back-four, behind Wes Brown (2.3) and John O’Shea (2) and he’ll be targeted as a weak link by the visitors, with a lower defensive work rate than the majority of his fellow defenders.
Bardsley’s relatively poor showing so far has seen him average just 5.96 in WhoScored’s ratings, with Mata already top for Chelsea on 8.04. The Sunderland full-back will have to be at his best to stand any chance against Mata, and even that may not be enough against the brilliance of the new Blues signing.
