Former Liverpool and England striker, Peter Crouch has tipped Chelsea to secure a convincing 4-0 victory over Sunderland when both sides meet at the Stadium of Light on Sunday.
Crouch made the prediction on That Peter Crouch Podcast, where former Chelsea midfielder Steve Sidwell had earlier backed the Blues to win 3-0.
Sidwell based his prediction largely on the potential impact of Sunderland’s European commitments, arguing that playing in Europe on Thursday could leave Régis Le Bris’ side vulnerable against Chelsea three days later.
“I’ll go first on this one, boys. This will be on a Sunday, because Sunderland are in Europe on Thursday, always after a European game on a Thursday, they can get done. I’m going Chelsea 3-0,” Sidwell said.
However, Crouch was even more confident about Chelsea’s chances, predicting a four-goal victory for the visitors.
“I’ll go 4-0 then,” the former England international declared.
When challenged to increase his prediction to a 5-0 win, Crouch stood by his original call, responding humorously:
“I am my own person; it’s my head on the chopping block, and if I get fired, it’s my philosophy.”
Explaining his confidence in Chelsea, Crouch praised the team’s attacking style while expressing concerns about Sunderland’s defensive mistakes.
“Poor result on the weekend. They were brilliant last season. Could they carry it on? Too many sloppy errors; Chelsea, for me, still like watching them play. They’re very exciting to watch,” he added.
Sunderland will welcome Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League on Thursday before turning their attention to Sunday’s Premier League encounter against Chelsea.
Le Bris’ men have endured a difficult start to their domestic campaign, collecting just five points from nine matches and recording only one victory. They also suffered a 3-1 defeat against Coventry City last weekend.
However, their performances in Europe have been considerably better, with Sunderland picking up seven points from their opening three Europa League fixtures in the league phase.