After a rollercoaster Premier League season, both Sunderland and Chelsea face a decisive last-day showdown at the Stadium of Light. The Black Cats, making a remarkable return to the top flight, are just one point shy of a historic European spot, while the Blues—once Champions League contenders—now teeter on the edge of missing out entirely.

Matchday essentials: Sunderland vs Chelsea

Date: Sunday, May 24, 2026

Kickoff: 5:00 PM BST

Venue: Stadium of Light, Sunderland

Referee: Chris Kavanagh

VAR: Available

TV broadcast: CANAL+ Live 6

Live streaming: CANAL+ digital platform

Current odds (Betclic)

• Sunderland win: 3.53
• Draw: 3.60
• Chelsea win: 1.97

Sunderland’s fight for Europe

Eight years after slipping into League One, Sunderland has clawed its way back to the Premier League with style. The Black Cats’ revival under manager Régis Le Bris began with promotion in 2025 and was fueled by a bold summer spending spree—over €100 million invested to bring in stars like Granit Xhaka, Enzo Le Fée, Brian Brobbey and Nordi Mukiele.

The team’s early-season form was electric, with a mid-table push that briefly suggested a potential top-half finish. A late-season slump saw them drop to 10th, but a morale-boosting 3-1 win at Everton last weekend reignited their European hopes. Now just one point behind 8th and two clear of 7th, a win could deliver their best finish since 2011—and a first-ever UEFA Europa League campaign.

Sunderland’s probable 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

Injury news: Simon Moore remains sidelined. Daniel Ballard serves a suspension. Romaine Mundle and Bertrand Traoré remain doubtful. Both Le Fée and Brobbey—who scored at Everton—are expected to start alongside midfield anchor Xhaka.

Chelsea’s crisis of confidence

Chelsea, once the Premier League’s high-spending powerhouse, has seen its season unravel spectacularly. Despite lifting the UEFA Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup in 2025, the Blues have collapsed post-winter break: seven league games without a win, including six defeats, and an FA Cup final loss to Manchester City.

The club’s chronic instability—three managerial changes in five years—has left it stranded in 8th, a far cry from its Champions League ambitions. A late resurgence under interim boss Calum McFarlane—three points from two games—offers a glimmer of hope, but another slip could see them miss Europe entirely.

Chelsea’s probable 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

Injury & suspension list: Estêvão Willian, Jamie Gittens (injured). Mykhaïlo Mudryk (suspended). Malo Gusto, Roméo Lavia, João Pedro remain uncertain. Enzo Fernández, who scored last time out, is tipped to start alongside Pedro Neto and Cole Palmer.

Where to watch the Sunderland-Chelsea clash in France

The final Premier League fixture of the season will be broadcast live on CANAL+ Live 6 starting at 5:00 PM BST this Sunday. The match will also be available for streaming on the CANAL+ digital platform.

Head-to-head: Chelsea’s dominance, Sunderland’s resurgence

In 126 competitive meetings, Chelsea leads with 61 wins to Sunderland’s 43, with 22 draws. The gap widened significantly after Roman Abramovich’s takeover in 2003. While the Blues rose to European elite status, Sunderland endured relegations and crises, spending years outside the top flight.

Their last league meeting in October ended 2-1 for Chelsea, but that was in a different era. Sunderland’s shock victory at Stamford Bridge earlier this season signaled a shift—proving the Black Cats are no longer pushovers.

Players who bridged both clubs

Over 30 footballers have worn both Sunderland and Chelsea shirts, though their paths rarely intersected at the same level. Most were established stars at Chelsea before joining a struggling Sunderland in later years.

Bertrand Traoré, the Burkina Faso international, is one of the few current players with direct ties. After failing to break into Chelsea’s first team in the mid-2010s, he had loan spells across Europe before signing for Sunderland this season—though injuries have limited his impact.

Marc Guiu, a La Masia graduate, joined Chelsea before a brief loan at Sunderland, where injuries cut short his stay.

The most successful crossover came with Marcos Alonso. After a loan at Sunderland in 2014, he became a Premier League champion and Champions League winner with Chelsea, embodying the club’s rise under Antonio Conte and Thomas Tuchel.

Others, like Dutch winger Boudewijn Zenden and Norwegian striker Tore André Flo, represent a legacy of talent flowing from London to Wearside in different eras—each leaving a mark, though Flo’s time at Sunderland ended in relegation.