Can Chelsea Avoid Relegation?
Published on December 17th, 2015 6:29 pm ESTOn December 19th, Chelsea will be playing their first game without former manager Jose Mourinho, who was sacked by the club earlier today. According to reports, there was a "palpable discord" between Mourinho and Chelsea's players, which led to the club deciding to part ways with the mercurial manager.
Chelsea is desperately trying to fight off the possibility of relegation, as they currently sit just 1 point above the relegation line. The club is playing host to Sunderland this weekend, which is one of the teams who are currently up for relegation. If Chelsea loses, they could find themselves in relegation territory by the end of the weekend. Having said that, most people expect that Chelsea will have a bounce back game now that their manager has been fired.
As of this moment, Chelsea sits with a record of 4-3-9, which is good for 15 points. This is a shocking record for a team that was expected by many to contend for the EPL title this season.
Sunderland, on the other hand, currently has a record of 3-3-10, which is good for 12 points. Sunderland, with a victory this weekend, could leap into a tie with Chelsea.
Chelsea is averaging a paltry 1.25 points per game at home so far this season, while Sunderland has managed just 0.5 points per game on the road. Something is going to have to give on Saturday, as these two struggling teams will duke it out.
These two teams last met on May 24th, 2015, when Chelsea topped Sunderland 3-1 at home.
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Here are the current odds for Saturday's contest:
Chelsea, 1.30
Draw, 5.50
Sunderland, 9.50
These odds clearly indicate that Chelsea is the favourite to win, despite the fact that they have struggled mightily so far this season.
Chelsea will be desperately hoping that the likes of Diego Costa, Eden Hazard and Radamel Falcao will get going on Saturday.
Sunderland, on the other hand, will be hoping that Chelsea's troubles continue for at least one more week.