At the end of last season, no one could have predicted how far Chelsea would have fallen during the 2015/2016 campaign. The Blues, who had won their first league title since 2010 last term were expected to be the team to beat this time around as others queued up to become the next champions of England in May 2016.
Unfortunately, "team to beat" took on a whole other meeting as it soon became aware that the London giants were a far cry from the team that conquered the Premier League during the 2014/2015 season. It seemed like everyone, with a bit of grit, could show up to Stamford Bridge and depart with at least a point. On the road, host teams eagerly welcomed Chelsea, knowing that they had a chance at beating the reigning Premier League champions in front of their home fans, and teams like Leicester City, who at this time last season were in dead last and now lead the current table, took great joy in heaping more misery on the team and their fan base around the world.
Chelsea
On Thursday, December 17th, the Chelsea executive board decided they had had enough of Jose Mourinho and announced what many figured would be coming: his termination. Despite having guided the team to three out of their five Premier League titles, time had run out for the Portuguese tactician after being unable to help guide the team out of their current slump that has seen them lose a whopping nine games - over half of their 16 played so far. Furthermore, with 26 goals conceded, the Blues have endured their worst start to a season since 1978, in which they suffered an embarrassing relegation to the second tier.
It was the second time the self-appointed "Special One" had been sacked by the club, and now, Chelsea will take on Sunderland in a game that in past seasons would have been a sure-fire three points. This time around, shockingly, it's a relegation "six-pointer" and given their dire situation, this is a game that they will be desperate to win later today.
A loss to Sunderland will see Chelsea drop down into the bottom three - a very unpleasant way for the players to celebrate their Christmas holidays - whilst a win, of course, would provide some kind of small reprieve to what has been nothing short of a disappointing domestic campaign so far.
Although former caretaker coach Guus Hiddink has been mentioned as the next man on the bench, this game will be actually managed by assistant coach Steve Holland, alongside Eddie Newton, who is closely associated with the club's on-loan players. Former icon Didier Drogba has been mooted with a sensational return to Stamford Bridge in some kind of position within the managerial staff - which surely would lift the spirits of Blues fans - but with that yet to be really confirmed, the only thing certain is this will be the team's first match without Mourinho in charge.
In terms of personnel, star attacker Eden Hazard, who suffered an injury during the team's loss to Leicester will undergo a late fitness test to determine whether he will be able to feature. Meanwhile, Cesc Fabregas, who had seen himself demoted to the bench as of late during the last few weeks of Mourinho's reign will likely regain his spot in the starting XI. Only Radamel Falcao, who has yet ot recover from his own on-going injury woes will certainly miss out on the match later today.
Sunderland
Meanwhile, although this season certainly has not been kind to Sunderland, the Black Cats will now be presented with a priceless opportunity to turn their own fortunes around. Like Chelsea, they will be coming into this game having lost their last two games. Overall, the visitors a poor record away from home - the worst in the league so far this season - and have won just two out of their 18 matches on the road in the calendar year of 2015.
Sam Allardyce's side really have a tough trio of matches to conclude this year. After Chelsea, they will next take on Manchester City and then Liverpool, and as things stand now, the Blues represent their best chance of clinching any points to improve their league standings. Interestingly, despite having lost five out of their last eight meetings, the Black Cats have fared better since the start of October, with a total of ten points earned versus a shocking poor seven for Chelsea. Additionally, Sunderland were the side to hand Mourinho his first Premier Leauge home defeat when they shocked the Blues 2-1 back in April 2014.
"Big Sam" will be able to welcome back Younes Kaboul and veteran striker Jermaine Defoe, but will have to make do without Lee Cattermole and Sebastian Larsson due to fitness issues.
Will Chelsea be able to rebound against a fellow struggling side? Or will Sunderland nick at least a point off the floundering Blues?
Which channel is broadcasting Chelsea vs Sunderland on TV or Online?
This will be the first match for the Blues sans Mourinho on the bench, and if you're in London, you may want to head to Stamford Bridge to see how Chelsea fares with a new man in charge. However, if you are not fortunate enough to be near England's capital, LiveSoccerTV has plenty of options to catch this relegation battle on TV, computer, tablet, or phone. Here are some choices for fans residing in the following countries:
- In the USA at 10.00 EST on: NBCSN, SiriusXM FC, NBC Sports Live Extra, Westwood One Sports, NBC UNIVERSO, NBC Deportes En Vivo Extra
- In the UK at 15.00 GMT on: TalkSport Radio UK
- In Canada at 10.00 ET on: TSN1
If you do not live in any of these three countries, no problem. You can simply check our our special Chelsea vs Sunderland broadcast page for viewing times and options for wherever you are currently based.
*Note: Live broadcast listings are subject to change*
Team sheets for Chelsea vs Sunderland
Chelsea's Starting XI: Courtois; Ivanovic, Zouma, Terry (c), Azpilicueta; Matic, Fabregas; Willian, Oscar, Pedro; Diego Costa.
Sunderland's Starting XI: Pantillimon; Jones, Coates, O’Shea (c), Kaboul, Van Aanholt; Toivonen, Rodwell, M’Vila, Watmore; Defoe.
Chelsea's subs: Begovic, Cahill, Baba Rahman, Mikel, Ramires, Traore, Remy.
Sunderland's subs: Mannone, Yedlin, Gomez, Johnson, Graham, Borini, Fletcher.
Match details, result and original broadcast info
This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
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