Follow live coverage of Sunderland v Chelsea here

Juan Mata
Reuters

Jose Mourinho takes his men to the Stadium of Light as Chelsea take on Sunderland for the midweek Premier League clash on Wednesday evening.

Where to Watch Live

Kick-off is set for 7:45pm GMT. Catch the highlights of the game on Match of the Day on BBC One and BBC One HD at 10:35pm GMT.

Overview

The Black Cats come into this game after their goalless draw against Aston Villa at Villa Park in the last league fixture. Sunderland have bounced back since Gus Poyet replaced Paolo Di Canio after the Italian manager was shown the exit door after their poor start to the campaign.

Since Poyet's appointment, Sunderland have lost only twice and the Uruguayan boss would be looking to extend his side's recent form when they host Chelsea on Wednesday evening. Poyet has won both of his home games as the Black Cats' manager, which includes a 1-0 victory over Manchester City in November.

Demba Ba
Reuters

Meanwhile, Chelsea enter the midweek fixture after coming from a goal down to register a 3-1 victory over Southampton. The Europa League winners conceded an early goal in the first minute, which came from Michael Essien's error.

However, the Blues bounced back in the second half as three goals from Gary Cahill, John Terry and Demba Ba sealed a comfortable victory for Chelsea. Mourinho's side are second in the league table with 27 points while Sunderland are at the bottom of the table with eight points from 13 games.

What The Managers Have Said

Gus Poyet: "Mentally for me it is just better to think about the next game. But, of course, we need to win a few games before Christmas. Look, it's true that you look at the table. People who say they don't look at the table, they are probably lying."

Jose Mourinho: "We now have two matches away [Sunderland and Stoke City] and then Crystal Palace at home, we are playing three teams who need points because of the position they are in, so we will have three very difficult matches."

Team Form

Sunderland

    • Last Five (all competitions, most recent first): D L W W L
    • Last Result: Aston Villa 0-0 Sunderland

Chelsea

    • Last Five (all competitions, most recent first): W L W D W
    • Last Result: Chelsea 3-1 Southampton

Team News

Gus Poyet
Reuters

Sunderland

    • Injured: Carlos Cuellar (hip), Keiren Westwood (shoulder)
    • Doubtful: John O'Shea (groin)
    • Suspended: N/A

Probable Lineup: Mannone; Bardsley, O'Shea, Brown, Dossena; Ki; Giaccherini, Larsson, Gardner; Borini, Fletcher

Chelsea

    • Injured: Marco van Ginkel (knee), Luiz (knee), Oscar (ankle)
    • Doubtful: Samuel Eto'o (groin)
    • Suspended: N/A

Probable Lineup: Cech; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta; Lampard, Ramires; Willian, Mata, Hazard; Ba