'Biggest Game Of The Season': Sunderland Defender Makes Bold Claim Chelsea Might Have To Be Wary Of

Sunderland defender Trai Hume has described Sunday’s Premier League clash with Chelsea as “the biggest game of the season” amid their poor run of results.

The Black Cats are on a seven-game winless run in the Premier League and sit last in the table. They still had a few cup wins in this period, but the 2-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday means they are now without a win in their last six games across all competitions.

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Of course, it is early in the season, and Sunderland are not exactly hopeless. They are just two points behind Manchester United in 17th, and a win could get them out of the relegation zone.

However, the challenge ahead will be against Chelsea, who sit fourth in the table and are high on confidence after the convincing win over Manchester United last weekend.

Versatile Sunderland right-back Hume believes this game could be decisive to their campaign.

“We’re obviously disappointed about the night,” Hume told TNT Sports after the Dinamo Zagreb loss.

“We wanted to give our fans something to cheer on and support; we couldn’t do that.

“We have to put our focus on the Premier League. This is probably the biggest game of the season for us.

“It has run on too long; we're not getting results, and we need to find a way to change that.”

Chelsea must prepare for desperate Sunderland side

On paper, the Blues should be able to comfortably beat this Sunderland side. Regis Le Bris’ side have scored the second-fewest goals (7) in the league this season and conceded the fourth-most (17). While Chelsea can be shaky defensively, their attack has been reliable and could be their ticket to another win this weekend.

That said, as Hume pointed out, Sunderland are understandably under a lot of pressure to please their fans. This could lead to reckless plays to force a win or a very persistent defence that will fight to the end for a point. The latter could prove troublesome for Chelsea, who have paid for their impatience to score on several occasions this season.

It is also worth noting that Chelsea have conceded the most set-piece goals (6) in the Premier League this season, which Sunderland will certainly hope to exploit.

The Blues will likely face a lot of aerial threats in the box, given that Sunderland average 60 long balls per game this season, the fourth-highest in the league. Depending on Xabi Alonso’s team selection, Chelsea could have Emiliano Martinez in goal, and his recent jaw injury could affect his ability to deal with high balls.

On the flip side, Sunderland often struggle to defend against counter-attacks, which is something Chelsea are very good at, thanks to the individual quality in their squad.

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