Don't miss backing Chelsea on Premier League survival Sunday

Sunderland v Chelsea

Match Odds: 11-4 Sunderland, 135 Draw, 10-11 Chelsea. Sky Bet FIRST GOALSCORER: 9/2 N Anelka, D Drogba (C), 5/1 F Lampard (C), 11/2 F Di Santo (C), 7/1 K Jones, D Cisse (S), S Kalou, F Malouda (C), 8/1 Bar. Ladbrokes.

SUNDERLAND fans must be thanking their lucky stars that the Premier League has been populated with such dross this season.

West Brom (can't defend), 'Boro (can't score), Newcastle (can't do anything) and Hull (one-trick ponies) have conspired to make it more than likely that the Black Cats won't get relegated.

And, trust us, that's taken some doing.

Sunderland are a side who have offered virtually nothing. From the time Roy Keane paid a staggering £5million for average striker Michael Chopra until the combustible Irishman left the club in December it was clear Sunderland were on a road to nowhere. The appointment of Ricky Sbragia was only a quick fix and that, too, has turned sour.

Defeat in 11 of their 22 games under Sbragia has dragged the club to the edge of disaster. It's an interesting fact that Chelsea are queuing up behind Manchester United, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Everton, West Ham, Manchester City and Portsmouth to become the eighth club to do the double over Sunderland.

Fans will be hoping for an easy ride from Chelsea, who have nothing to play for in the league and an FA Cup final to play next week.

But whichever Chelsea side turns up at the Stadium of Light, they will surely be good enough to see off Sunderland.

Chelsea have won the last eight Premier League encounters between these sides and we reckon they will canter to victory. Frank Lampard is the perennial flat-track bully and he could get another goal here.

Our Bets: Chelsea to win (evens, Paddy Power) and Frank Lampard to score at any time (13/5, Paddy Power).

Hull v Man Utd

WHATEVER Newcastle do, Hull must match that result to stay in the Premier League .. it's a simple as that for Phil Brown and his side. There has been much discussion about which team Sir Alex will send to the KC Stadium - not by the great man though, who refuses to discuss the matter.

We tend to agree with our chief sports writer Oliver Holt, who maintains that a young United side with a sprinkling of experience are more likely to cause Hull problems than a team made up of Champions League final-bound stars, pulling out of tackles and only giving 50 per cent.

We find this game difficult to call. Hull are in a terrible slump and have a shocking home record - just three wins all season. But there is no doubt they are in with a shot of getting something against a weakened United side. A lowscore draw looks the best option.

Our Bet: The game to end 1-1 (13-2, Blue Square).

Match Odds: 2-1 Hull, 5-2 Draw, 5-4 Man Utd. BetFred FIRST GOALSCORER: 4/1 C Ronaldo (M), 9/2 C Tevez (M), 5/1 D Berbatov, F Macheda (M), 11/2 W Rooney (M), 13/2 D Welbeck (M), Geovanni, D Cousin, (H), 15/2 D Windass (H), 8/1 Bar. Boyles.

Aston Villa v Newcastle

Match odds: 7-5 Aston Villa, 125 Draw, 15-8 Newcastle. Stan James FIRST GOALSCORER: 11/2 M Owen (N), G Agbonlahor (A), 6/1 J Carew (A), 13/2 E Heskey (A), 7/1 N Delfouneso (A), M Viduka (N), 15/2 S Ameobi (N), 8/1 Xisco (N), 9/1 Bar. Bet365 LAST FIVE HEAD-TO-HEAD Nov 08 Newcastle 2 A Villa 0 Feb 08 A Villa 4 Newcastle 1 Aug 07 Newcastle 0 A Villa 0 Jan 07 Newcastle 3 A Villa 1 Aug 06 A Villa 2 Newcastle 0

D-DAY for Alan Shearer and Newcastle. The trouble is D stands for drop.

We keep looking at this game and thinking that Aston Villa should be there for the taking. Nothing to play for and in a poor run of form. But then we stop day dreaming and realise this is Newcastle we are talking about.

They are in the bottom three because they have been wretched all season and that isn't going to change overnight. Toon will battle but they always look likely to ship a goal and they could lose narrowly. The Championship and meltdown beckons.

Our Bet: Villa to win by a single goal (10/3, bet365).

West Ham v Boro

Match Odds: 5-4 West Ham, 125 Draw, 19-10 Middlesbrough. VC Bet FIRST GOALSCORER: 11/2 C Cole (W), 6/1 D Tristan (W), 13/2 D Di Michele (W), 7/1 T Sanli, M Emnes (M), 15/2 F Sears (W), 9/1 M King (M), 10/1 Bar. Coral.

MIRACLES don't happen .. well, not at Upton Park. Boro are down and we reckon the Hammers will send them to the Championship with a good hiding to remember the Premier League by.

Our favourite website - westhamonline.net - is one of the great fan forum sites and every week there is an interview with an opposition fan. It's absolutely brilliant and gives a great insight into what's going on at other clubs.

The latest instalment asked a Boro fan about what the club needs and what has gone wrong.

Here's his reply: "(We need) a massive clear out-starting with the manager and the back room staff. Gareth Southgate was a legend on the pitch, one of the finest defenders we have had. However he has, in three seasons, ruined his reputation on Teesside with god awful buys (Lee Dong Gook anyone...), duff tactics and the same spiel at the end of every defeat. Our chairman seems to be happy with the club going backwards seen as he refuses to change the situation. Unfortunately years of hiring novices has finally caught up with us."

Oh dear. We can understand the angst. Boro have been absolutely awful and deserve to be relegated.

Anyway, West Ham should start with Carlton Cole up front and that is a massive boost for the Hammers. He should get on the scoresheet against a terrible Boro back line.

Our Bets:West Ham to win (11/8, Betfred) and Carlton Cole to score at any time (15/8, bet365, Coral).

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