Chelsea vs. Sunderland, Premier League: Confirmed lineups

Welcome to the rest of the season.

Football did not get canceled on account of Mourinho's sacking, so we have to play out the season, save ourselves from relegation.  That quest starts today, with assistant manager Steve Holland and former assistant manager Eddie Newton taking charge — the match comes too soon for just-appointed interim boss Guus Hiddink — as Chelsea look for a most important three points.

Good luck to them!

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Chelsea starting lineup (4-2-3-1):
Thibaut Courtois | Cesar Azpilicueta, John Terry (c), Kurt Zouma, Branislav Ivanovic | Nemanja Matic, Cesc Fabregas | Pedro, Oscar, Willian | Diego Costa

Substitutes from: Asmir Begovic, Gary Cahill, Baba Rahman, John Obi Mikel, Ramires, Bertrand Traore, Loic Remy

Sunderland starting eleven:
Costel Pantilimon, Billy Jones, Sebastian Coates, Younes Kaboul, John O'Shea (c), Patrick van Aanholt, Yann M'Vila, Jack Rodwell, Ola Toivonen, Duncan Watmore, Jermain Defoe.

Substitutes from: Vito Mannone, Fabio Borini, Jordi Gomez, Danny Graham, DeAndre Yedlin, Steven Fletcher, Adam Johnson.

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Date / Time: Saturday, December 19, 2015, 15:00 GMT; 10am EST; 8:30pm IST
Venue: Stamford Bridge, SW6
Referee: Roger East
On TV: none (UK); NBCSN, NBC Universo (USA); Star Sports 2 / HD 2 (India); elsewhere
Streaming online: talkSport, Chelsea TV (audio-only; int'l); NBC Sports Live Extra, NBC Deportes En Vivo Extra (USA); Star Sports (India)

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A very familiar Chelsea lineup — two changes: Ramires dropped for Fabregas, Hazard out injured and replaced by Pedro — proving once again that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

UP THE CHELS!