The era of José Mourinho is over at Stamford Bridge as the defending English Premier League champions Chelsea must learn to move forward without him and will continue doing so hosting Sunderland today, Saturday.
Mourinho was sacked last Thursday following Chelsea's continuous struggles this season especially with winning matches.
Now, the Blues are starting anew and are aiming to improve their position in the Premier League table with the remaining matches in their schedule.
Chelsea will head to today's matchup with Sunderland coming off a 2–1 defeat in the Premier League against current league-leading Leicester City.
A possible tough setback for Chelsea will be the health of midfielder Eden Hazard, who was reported to have suffered a hip injury during their match versus Leicester City.
The Daily Mail reported that the 24-year-old midfielder will miss the match versus Sunderland as he has not been able to practice since getting hurt in their last Premier League outing.
According to Sports Mole, the potential absence of Hazard may pave the way for Pedro to start at the position.
Sports Mole added that along with Hazard, striker Radamel Falcao is also uncertain versus Sunderland due to health concerns.
Despite the possible scratches in their lineup, Chelsea will hope to play their best and move up the table as they are currently 16th with 15 points.
Meanwhile, Sunderland aims to return on the winning track when they take on Chelsea as they are riding a two match losing streak in the Premier League.
The Lads lost to Arsenal (3–1) and also fell to Watford (1–0), two clubs that are in the top 10 in the league table.
Besides their desire to end the winless slump, Sunderland also look forward to getting out of the second to the last spot in the table as they only have 12 points, with Aston Villa the only club under them with six points.
The Premier League match between Chelsea and Sunderland will take place today, Dec. 19, at 11:00 am EST. To watch via live stream, click here.
