When the draw was announced for the next round of play in the Capital One Cup, Chelsea's next opponent was still yet to be determined. The Blues would either be facing a trip to Sunderland or Southampton, depending on the result when the two teams finally met.
That game was played last night, with Sunderland emerging a 2-1 winner and securing a home date with the Blues. Gus Poyet will now have a chance to knock his former club out of it's first competition of the season, with a team that's looked much improved since he took over for Paulo DI Canio.
The game will be played on Tuesday, December 17 at 19:45 local time. It also continues our fans' run of good luck with finding the game on television, as Sky Sports has decided to carry it live.
For the Blues, this one actually fits into the schedule quite nicely. They play Saturday against a relatively poor Crystal Palace team ahead of the League Cup tie, and have six days following the match to recover before their second game of the season against Arsenal. That should allow Mourinho to field a fairly strong lineup without worrying about the effect it will have on the more important competitions.