Premier League preview: Chelsea v Sunderland

Sunderland’s resurgence will face another major test when Martin O’Neill’s side travel to Chelsea on Saturday.

O’Neill has led Sunderland to five wins and one draw from seven fixtures in all competitions since taking over from sacked predecessor Steve Bruce last month.

The former Aston Villa and Celtic manager’s influence has seen Sunderland rise to 10th in the Premier League, leaping eight points clear of the relegation zone and looking a much more stable outfit than with Bruce in charge.

Sunderland fans will head to London with high expectations, after they trounced Chelsea 3-0 in the corresponding fixture last term.

O’Neill recently heaped praise on former Manchester United pair Wes Brown and John O’Shea for their contributions to the club’s latest success.

The pair helped Sunderland to a memorable 1-0 victory over Manchester City earlier this month, and O’Neill said they had handled expectations superbly since coming to the Stadium of Light.

“They’ve come here to the club and are asking for that extra responsibility which I think they are happy with,” O’Neill said.

“It’s something that they’ve taken on, they wanted this extra responsibility and it’s great but it is new to them.”

“Everyone at United has a certain responsibility, of course, but in the whole context of things, you still get on with your own game. They have done that and done that well.”

Chelsea, meanwhile, have recovered from a four-game winless run with back-to-back wins over Wolverhampton and Portsmouth in the league and FA Cup respectively.

They have fallen off pace with the Manchester clubs and Tottenham to sit fourth, but will be keen to sew up a Champions League berth ahead of fifth-placed Arsenal.

Their home record in the 2011/12 campaign, however, has not been a pleasant one for boss Andre Villas-Boas, as they have kept just one home clean sheet in 10 Premier League games at Stamford Bridge.

In selection news, Brown, Titus Bramble, Craig Gordon and Fraizer Campbell will all be unavailable for Sunderland.

Chelsea attacker Daniel Sturridge remains in doubt for the clash with a hip injury, while John-Obi Mikel and Branislav Ivanovic (both hamstring) are also in doubt.