Sunderland have the opportunity to end in-form Chelsea's run of 19 undefeated matches in all competitions this season.
The self-styled "Special One" faces what he agreed is a special fixture this weekend but Jose Mourinho refused to accept that beating Manchester United to establish a 10-point lead with six games left would mean Chelsea had won the Premier League.
Chelsea begin their Premier League title defence against Swansea City on Saturday in the unusual position of heading into a new season having been significantly outspent by their rivals.
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The Community Shield showpiece at Wembley will be the 14th time Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho have locked horns in opposing dugouts and Wenger is still waiting to get one over the Portuguese.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored the winner as Paris St Germain beat Chelsea 2-1 to knock them out of the Champions League for the second successive season at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Tuesday
Spoils were shared in two huge Premier League derbies, Chelsea's cracking start continued with a 3-0 win over Aston Villa and Wayne Rooney produced a Jekyll and Hyde display in a nervy Manchester United victory on Saturday.
Spoils were shared in two huge Premier League derbies, Chelsea's cracking start continued with a 3-0 win over Aston Villa and Wayne Rooney produced a Jekyll and Hyde display in a nervy Manchester United victory on Saturday.
Premier League leaders Manchester City turned on the style with a 3-1 win over Manchester United in their derby clash, on Sunday, leaving Pep Guardiola's unbeaten side two points clear of Liverpool.
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Messi opened the scoring after two minutes and eight seconds, the quickest goal of his career, slipping the ball through Thibaut Courtois' legs from a tight angle.
Winning trophies with his boyhood club and rediscovering his scoring touch is what Fernando Torres really craves after returning home to Atletico Madrid.
Diego Costa was on target again as Chelsea overcame a defensive West Bromwich Albion 1-0 to return to the top of the Premier League with their ninth victory in a row on Sunday. The Spaniard's second-half strike sent the Blues three points clear of Arsenal, who had taken the overall lead on goals scored on Saturday after seeing off Stoke City 3-1 at the Emirates.
The omens are good for a Chelsea side heading into Christmas top of the Premier League tree but manager Jose Mourinho does not want to give title rivals Manchester City any reason to cheer over the festive season. Check out the big games on Boxing Day.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Jose Mourinho made winning titles a habit for Chelsea's players when he first arrived in 2004 and three months into his second stint at Stamford Bridge he is urging them to rediscover it.
In-form striker Romelu Lukaku said he chose to join Everton on loan for the season from Chelsea because he needed to play regularly and not because he was not wanted at Stamford Bridge.
'Our plan is to put the best foot forward for the upcoming tournament and play good matches'
Following Bayern Munich's brilliant 7-4 (on aggregate) win over FC Porto in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, here's a look at a few memorable come-from-behind victories in Europe's premier football competition.
Chelsea must add a new dimension to their brand of football if the champions are to mount a strong defense of the Premier League title they won in some comfort last season, said manager Jose Mourinho.
Jose Mourinho will forget what has gone on for the last three disappointing seasons at Manchester United, he said in his first interview after being installed as manager on Friday.
A trip to Manchester United has in the past struck fear into the heart of many an opposition team, but that will not apply to Chelsea on Sunday because they know history is on their side.
Diego Costa has turned into a pale imitation of the player who took the Premier League by storm last year and Chelsea must get him firing on all cylinders again to have any hope of salvaging their wretched season.
IMAGES from the English Premier League matches played on Saturday
Liverpool beat Leicester City 2-1 to post a fourth successive Premier League victory but conceded their first goal of the season after a nightmare mistake by new keeper Alisson.
Raheem Sterling's stunning individual goal earned Liverpool a 1-1 draw with Chelsea in a rip-roaring League Cup semi-final first leg at Anfield on Tuesday but the dominant Merseysiders could be left to rue a missed opportunity.
Chelsea may have restored some breathing space over Manchester City with a 2-0 win over Newcastle United on Saturday but they have not regained the form that made them runaway title favourites earlier in the season.
Knee injuries have sidelined him for large parts of this season, however, and the Belgium international has started only four Premier League games.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field.
Tesla's Model 3 sedan, scheduled to roll out later this year, will be critical to founder Elon Musk's ambitions to transform his company from a niche car-maker into a mass-market manufacturer.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Manchester City claimed the win required to finally end Liverpool's relentless attempt to dethrone them as Premier League champions as they hit back from a goal down to crush Brighton and Hove Albion on the south coast on Sunday.
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