Chelsea vs. Sunderland: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream, TV Info
Life begins without Jose Mourinho for Chelsea on Saturday.
It's been an emotional week at Stamford Bridge for the champions, with Mourinho sacked by Roman Abramovich for the second time in eight years after defeat to Leicester City.
If we didn't know it already, Chelsea are in full crisis mode. They are managerless heading into the busy Christmas fixtures and sit just one point above the relegation zone.
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And on Saturday they invite fellow strugglers Sunderland to Stamford Bridge with the visitors knowing a victory will drag Chelsea into the mire further still.
Come the final whistle, there's a realistic possibility that the champions could be in the Premier League's bottom three.
Guus Hiddink is being tipped to take over as interim manager until the end of the season, but he will not be in charge of Saturday's game, with Mourinho's assistant coach Steve Holland taking over first-team duties (per BBC Sport).
Things accelerated with Mourinho's departure after a lacklustre performance from his players at the King Power Stadium on Monday evening.
After the game, Mourinho suggested some players had "betrayed" him by not carrying out his instructions to keep the Foxes at bay.
Overall it was a miserable night for club and manager, compounding their misery. And things got worse when Mourinho was dismissed on Thursday.
Throughout the whole ordeal this term, Chelsea fans have stood by their manager. Mourinho remains hugely popular in west London, so it will be an interesting atmosphere inside Stamford Bridge.
Despite the circus, Chelsea must remember there is a game to win on Saturday, and more than ever they must pick up three points.
This dismal run has continued for much too long and the players need to turn the corner.
We can speculate about what has got the team to where it is now, but that's all past. Chelsea need to start winning matches to move on from the events of this week.
That all starts against Sunderland.
Date: Saturday, December 19
Time: 3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. ET
Venue: Stamford Bridge, London
TV Info: Match of the Day, BBC1 (10.30 p.m. UK only)/NBC Sports (U.S. only)
Live Stream: No UK live stream/NBCSN (U.S. only)
Last 5 Games
| Nov. 24 | Maccabi Tel-Aviv 0-4 Chelsea |
| Nov. 29 | Tottenham Hotspur 0-0 Chelsea |
| Dec. 5 | Chelsea 0-1 Bournemouth |
| Dec. 9 | Chelsea 2-0 Porto |
| Dec. 14 | Leicester City 2-1 Chelsea |
| Nov. 7 | Sunderland 0-1 Southampton |
| Nov. 23 | Crystal Palace 0-1 Sunderland |
| Nov. 28 | Sundelrand 2-0 Stoke City |
| Dec. 5 | Arsenal 3-1 Sunderland |
| Dec. 12 | Sunderland 0-1 Watford |
Predicted Lineups
Eden Hazard remains a doubt for Chelsea after picking up a hip injury against Leicester City on Monday, while Radamel Falcao has also sat out training this week as he struggles to reach full fitness after a two-month layoff.
Outside of that pair, Chelsea have a full squad to pick from, so we can expect Diego Costa to lead the line against Sunderland, with Cesc Fabregas potentially restored into the midfield.
As for the visitors, Sam Allardyce will be without Seb Larsson and Lee Cattermole for the trip to west London. Sebastian Coates has been struggling with an illness but should be fit to face Chelsea.
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Courtois; Ivanovic, Zouma, Terry, Rahman; Matic, Fabregas; Willian, Oscar, Pedro; Diego Costa
Sunderland (5-3-2): Pantilimon; Jones, Coates, O'Shea, Kaboul, Van Aanholt; Toivonen, M'Vila, Rodwell; Fletcher, Defoe
Key Players
John Terry
With the manager gone, Chelsea need some leadership on Saturday and it all falls at John Terry's door.
Too often the captain has been a major reason for the club's success in the past, dragging them through the mire, but the feeling now is that he is needed more than ever.
Chelsea have lacked leadership across the pitch all season. It's a major reason why the champions find themselves just one point above the relegation zone.
Facing Sunderland, who are in a relegation battle with them, Chelsea need a win to forget this past week.
To do that, they need their captain to drag them through it.
Jack Rodwell
Sunderland offer a very different threat for Chelsea to what Leicester City did on Monday evening. The Black Cats lack the same speed and craft in attack, but it doesn't mean they can't get at Chelsea.
If Jack Rodwell can win his individual battles in midfield, that will give Allardyce's men a big opportunity to capitalise on Chelsea's misfortunes.
The club is reeling from Mourinho's sacking and we're not quite sure which team will turn up. Will it be the champions of old? Or will Chelsea's players continue to fail in the face of adversity?
Rodwell can be physical when the time calls for it, yet he is equally a gifted footballer. If he has a good performance in the middle, Sunderland will have a platform to pull something off at Stamford Bridge.
Prediction
Chelsea 1-1 Sunderland
Odds
Home Win: +1200
Away Win: -400
Draw: +425
First Goalscorer: Willian (6/1)
Odds via Odds Shark and Oddschecker
Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes
