The four crucial Sunderland calls Régis Le Bris is weighing up this week - and what we think he'll do against Chelsea

Régis Le Bris has some major calls to make this week as Sunderland prepare for their final-day clash against Chelsea, with a place in Europe on the line for both sides.

Here, we look at the crucial decisions he will be weighing up and make some early predictions...

Is Omar Alderete ready to start?

Alderete suffered a hip injury in the build up to the win at Everton and though Sunderland and the player had hoped he'd be able to manage the issue through the game, he aggravated it when attempting a sprint early in the contest. Alderete is being assessed this week and has virtually from the moment he arrived been an automatic pick for Régis Le Bris due his excellent defensive attributes and his ability to build out from the back on the ball.

Sunderland and Le Bris will want him in the XI for stability and continuity but Luke O'Nien's performance after replacing him from the bench at the Hill Dickinson Stadium was so good that they might well feel there's no need to take a risk if Alderete is not 100%.

Our early prediction: Luke O'Nien starts

Does Trai Hume continue on the right wing?

After Sunderland nine goals in two games against Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest, Trai Hume returned to the hybrid right-wing role he surprisingly played earlier in the season. It wasn't a purely defensive move from Le Bris, because it allowed him to play a natural left winger in their strongest position and crucially paved the way for Enzo Le Fée to move back infield: he has been a revelation ever since.

Hume's return to that role, however, has been a little uneasy. Earlier in the campaign it made a lot of sense, allowing Nordi Mukiele to be far more aggressive in his forward runs and giving the team an extra defender in the inevitable phases of the game where they didn't have much possession and had to defend deep. Recently, though, Sunderland have been enjoying far more possession and Hume has played much more like a traditional winger - a role that doesn't obviously suit his major strengths as a player. The way Sunderland ended the game perhaps lent credence to the argument that Le Bris can be a little bolder in his selection, whether that be through playing another natural winger or using either Chris Rigg or Habib Diarra in that role.

The very persuasive counter argument is that the current balance of the team is working well, and that Sunderland cannot afford a repeat of their slow start against Nottingham Forest. Hume never lets his side down, and a solid start against a Chelsea side packed with quality despite recent form can pave the way for more attacking players to be introduced later in the game if required.

Our early prediction: Trai Hume keeps his place

Who plays on the left flank?

If Le Bris does keep Hume on the right, then has a tough call between Chemsdine Talbi and Nilson Angulo on the left. Talbi was unfortunate to drop to the bench at Everton, but Le Bris explained that Angulo had earned his place by training superbly. It probably works against Talbi at times that he is such an obviously good impact player, who the head coach likes to have in reserve to bring speed and directness late on. Angulo did little wrong at Everton, but on the evidence of the campaign so far it is Talbi who looks most likely to pop up with a potentially crucial goal.

Our early prediction: Chemsdine Talbi returns on the left flank

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Does Bertrand Traoré return to the bench?

Traoré is Le Bris's first choice on the right flank when fully fit, but his long recovery from a knee injury initial suffered on AFCON duty means he has been left out of the squad for the previous two fixtures despite returning to full training. Le Bris has insisted that his uncertain future at the club will have no impact on his selection, which makes sense when you consider the stakes for Sunderland both in terms of Premier League prize money and a shot at European qualification: You simply have to pick the best squad possible. Traoré would without a shadow of a doubt be in that when fully fit, and Le Bris has to decide this week whether he is fit enough to make an impact in the latter stages of the game if required.

It would be a big ask to impact the game after so long without regular competitive football, but the same would also apply to Jocelin Ta Bi.

Our early prediction: Traoré misses out

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