Connor Wickham
Connor Wickham will be an influential figure against Chelsea Getty

Chelsea travel to the Stadium of Light to face Sunderland on Saturday as they look to extend the gap at the top and keep their unbeaten record alive.

Where to Watch Live

Kick-off is set for 5:30pm GMT. Live coverage of the game will be available on Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 1 HD.

Overview

Sunderland have been out of form this season but are known for their ability to pull off surprises, as was exemplified by their performance at Stamford Bridge in April when they defeated Chelsea 2-1 to end Jose Mourinho's unbeaten record at home spanning over 77 games.

A similar result here will cut Chelsea's dreams of emulating the invincibles short, a record which is still being held by Arsenal's team of 2003/04.

Gus Poyet's men are unbeaten in their last three games, winning one and drawing two, and will be looking to use this form to pull off an upset over their celebrated opponents.

Their last game ended in an insipid 0-0 draw with Leicester City but the Black Cats have grown in confidence over the season and are looking more like a team who are willing to put up a fight to stay up.

Meanwhile, Chelsea are showing no signs of relenting in their title pursuits, currently six points clear of their nearest rivals Southampton.

Their midweek game against Schalke ended in a 5-0 battering for the Germans which confirmed their progression into the knockout stages in pole position. A win against Sunderland will top off a brilliant week for the manager, who is well on his way to securing the league title well before it's conclusion.

Diego Costa
Diego Costa has cored nine goal in 10 appearances. Getty

What Managers Say

Gus Poyet: "If you win every game, you get stronger and you get that feeling in the team that you can play badly and still win and at least get a draw. But the next team is the one who has the opportunity to stop them somehow and everybody is going to want to take that chance - and now the opportunity is for us."

Jose Mourinho: "I don't remember Chelsea playing this way away from home (against Schalke). There were great victories for me, for Roberto (Di Matteo), for other managers, but not like this away from home - very impressive."

Betting Odds (By 888Sport.com)

  • Chelsea win – 2/5
  • Draw: 37/10
  • Sunderland Win: 8/1

Anytime Scorer

  • Diego Costa – 5/6
  • Ede Hazard – 7/4
  • Steven Fletcher – 21/5
  • Adam Johnson – 7/1

Team Guide

Sunderland

  • Last Five (all competitions): L L W D D
  • Last Result: Leicester City 0-0 Sunderland

Chelsea

  • Last Five (all competitions): W D W W W
  • Last Result: Schalke 0-5 Chelsea

Team News

Sunderland

  • Injured: Giaccherini (ankle), Alvarez (knee), Jones (hamstring)
  • Suspended: N/A
  • Doubtful: N/A

Possible XI: Pantilimon; Vergini, O'Shea, Brown, Reveillere; Cattermole, Larsson, Rodwell; Johnson, Wickham, Fletcher.

Chelsea

  • Injured: N/A
  • Suspended: N/A
  • Doubtful: N/A

Possible XI: Courtois; Ivanovic, Terry, Cahill, Azpilicueta; Matic, Fabregas; Willian, Oscar, Hazard; Costa.

Sunderland AFC Chelsea FC