Probable Lineups...

Sunderland (4-1-4-1): Pantilimon, Vergini, Brown, O'Shea, Reveillere, Cattermole, Johnson, Larsson, Wickham, Gomez, Fletcher

Sunderland are only three points away from the relegation zone after managing to win only one game in their last five, with their last result being a 0-0 draw away to fellow strugglers Leicester City.  The Black Cats will also be facing a daunting run of fixtures starting with Chelsea this weekend, before hosting Man City then travelling to Liverpool. Manager Gus Poyet will also be facing his former club, where he spent four years as a player. Poyet will, however, have an almost fully fit squad to call upon, with Patrick van Aanholt the only key member to be sidelined with a shoulder injury.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Courtois, Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta, Fabregas, Matic, Willian, Oscar, Hazard, Costa

High-flying Chelsea look unstoppable at the moment, extending their lead at the top of the table to eight points with a 2-0 win over West Brom last week and qualifying for the Champions League knock-out stages with a convincing 5-0 victory against FC Schalke in Germany. Jose Mourinho's men now travel to the Stadium of Light to face Sunderland, a team that has been a bit of a bogey side for the Blues. 'The Special One' will, however, be confident of a result with no injury concerns ahead of the fixture.

What the fans are saying...

Remember this?

//www.youtube.com/embed/F_lkik83PMc

Gus Poyet, who now manages Sunderland, with one of his most famous goals against the Black Cats back in his Chelsea playing days.