Chelsea have the chance to clinch their place in the Premier League’s top four over the November international break by beating struggling Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.

The Blues moved back into the automatic Champions League qualification places last weekend following their 2–0 victory over Manchester United . A match of two halves ended with a flourish as Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer delivered the goods, offering the perfect response to previous defeats against Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.

Inconsistency has plagued the early stages of Xabi Alonso’s reign, but there have been positive signs from the Spaniard’s new-look team, especially in the final third. Only two sides outscored Chelsea during the opening nine rounds, although, rather alarmingly, only three teams conceded more than them.

Sunderland have endured goalscoring and defensive issues during the opening two-and-a-half months as they struggle to balance their domestic and European duties.…