Michael Owen: My prediction for Sunderland v Chelsea clash

They are now in last place in the EPL table with just 11 points in 15 games. If you can be destroyed by an ageing Fernando Llorente, imagine what kind of damage the still bizarrely youthful Costa could do.

Sunderland’s last three matches have been goalless at the interval, while Chelsea’s last four goals (all three against Man City and the victor against West Brom) have come in the second half.

Wednesday should bring a fairly routine win at home to a limited Watford outfit, but you can’t rule out anything with City at the moment. Not playing in the Champions League with his hamstring problems is a plus because he can stay fresh.

He is fresh, and when you are fresh you can think more clearly, you are calmer. You have more on your mind. The way he is with his players is awesome. The Blues have only conceded two goals in the last nine league games while scoring an fantastic 24 goals during that span.

Arsene Wenger’s side finished their 2001-02 title-winning campaign with 13 successive wins and then beat Birmingham 2-0 in the opening game of the next, before a 2-2 draw with West Ham ended the run. Diego is a great striker and he can continue to improve his football but I’m satisfied with the work we are doing with him and the team.

‘When you win, and you already score, you smile at players.

“We had a good run there, but we’ll have to do that three or four times this season if we are to make sure we keep ourselves in this league”.

The Black Cats’ 3-0 defeat at fellow strugglers Swansea City, meant that the Welsh outfit leapfrogged Moyes’ team and pushed them back to the bottom of the Premier League table. Imagine what a win over title-chasing opposition could do to his standing at Goodison Park? Jurgen Klopp’s men will be looking to bounce back to winning ways when they take on Middlesbrough tomorrow night at the Riverside.

If the ability to win games even when not firing on all cylinders is the mark of a champion, Chelsea would seem to be heading in the right direction. So if you’re playing in Germany, France, England or Spain you have to get used to playing in that league. I’m always trying to do my best for this team. You can not give the ball away as much as they did against Chelsea. In a tight game, home advantage will be the deciding factor. He can be backed at 13/5 to net the first goal. “This season up to now he has scored very important goals”. [Henrikh] Mkhitaryan looks like a player now. Eddie Howe will be without Lewis Cook, Andrew Surman and Junior Stanislas through injury, while Jack Wilshere and Marc Pugh may both come back into the side after sitting out last week.

‘Since that they have managed to get an understanding, maybe have a talk’.

Someone else needs to come in. Vincent Janssen will also miss the fun for the next three weeks while Alvaro Negredo may return to Middlesbrough starting lineup this Thursday.

Sunderland are now in the bottom three of the Premier League.