Chelsea vs Sunderland – a kind of, but not really relegation battle six-pointer, with the drama and spice surrounding this English Premier League game right up there with anything else following the firing of Jose Mourinho.

What looked like being a match in which Mourinho absolutely needed to win to save his job has turned out into the first game of the post-Mourinho II era, after Roman Abramovich decided the best way forward for Chelsea was to part ways with the manager.

Also Read

If that was the right decision or not, only time will tell. But the first signs of just that will be seen when Chelsea host Sunderland at what will be a highly-volatile Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

Abramovich has reportedly given Guus Hiddink the caretaker reigns, but Steve Holland and Eddie Newton, with the Dutchman expected to be watching from the stands, will oversee the match on Saturday.

There is little doubt that the players had stopped playing for Mourinho as Chelsea's season unravelled, and with the Portuguese losing his job as a result, a toxic atmosphere for the home team's players is possible.

The majority of the fans are not too happy with the sacking of Mourinho, with plenty blaming the players for the situation that Chelsea find themselves in – 16th in the Premier League table, one point off the relegation places.

If the fans, expected to chant Mourinho's name, make it more difficult for the players, who have been asked by Abramovich to step up, it will play right into Sunderland' hands.

The Black Cats are equally desperate for points, with Sam Allardyce's team currently second bottom, having managed just 12 points all season, albeit only three less than Chelsea's current total.

A win at Stamford Bridge on Saturday will take them level on points with Chelsea, and that should be more than enough of a motivating factor for the away side.

"Our job on Saturday is to try and continue that cloud they are under at the moment and try and make that cloud bigger and try and get a result and not give them anything if we possibly can," Allardyce said.

"The encouraging thing is that [fellow relegation battlers] Bournemouth have just beaten Manchester United and Chelsea and Newcastle United have beaten Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.

"On the basis of that if we go and play our very best on the day and the opposition aren't on song then you can get a result in the Premier League and that's what makes it so interesting across the world."

Sunderland's round of matches do not get any easier, with Manchester City and Liverpool waiting in the wings after this Chelsea match. Allardyce, though, is confident his side can find points from these difficult games.

"We've got to try and push on and try and get as many points from this group of fixtures," Allardyce added. "On any given day if we hit our best form and the opposition aren't quite on song then we can get a result and upset them.

"We've got to believe that we can do that and then come out of the Christmas period in January and be around certainly trying to gain a few more points."

Where to Watch Live

Get the goals and highlights of the match HERE

The EPL match -- Chelsea vs Sunderland -- is scheduled for a 3 pm local time (8.30 pm IST, 10 am ET) start. Star Sports 2 will broadcast the match live in India, while the online live streaming options are on Hotstar and Starsports.com.

There will be no live TV coverage for viewers in the UK, but Talksport will provide live audio coverage. Australia viewers can watch the EPL game live on Fox Sports, while the online live streaming options are on Fox Sports On Demand and Foxtel Play.

Watch the Chelsea play Sunderland live in the US on NBC Sports Network, with the live stream option on NBC Sports Live Extra. Audience in Canada can watch the action live on TSN1 and TSN TV. 

PPTV Sports and LeTV will broadcast the match live in China and Hong Kong, while viewers in Singapore can watch the match live on 104 mio, with live coverage of the match in Thailand on CTH.