It will be a celebration of football’s coming generation, as the Blues have fielded the most youthful players in the top flight (24 years, 116 days) and the Black Cats the third youngest (25 years, 92 days).

The two adversaries are level on points in the league ladder, but the Blues stand fifth, two rungs above, thanks to a superior goal difference.

The Wearsiders’ return to west London after an eight-year absence was secured with their promotion through the play-off system. Only one of the past 10 winners of that final have avoided relegation 12 months later.

This year’s contingent of new arrivals was expected to fit the pattern of the past two season and all go straight back down, but Sunderland have impressed with their youthful vigour and team spirit. They have achieved the fifth-best return from the opening eight games of any new arrival in the Premier League.

The Black Cats had Wolves howling after a 2-0 win in the North-East, but their sole away goal so far came at Nottingham Forest, scene of Chelsea’s 3-0 triumph the same weekend.

Wednesday’s teenage rampage at the Bridge clinched a fourth win on the spin for the Londoners on all fronts. Key players rested, progress up the UEFA Champions League table and our seventh-biggest win in the competition made it a special night for Enzo Maresca’s side.

Chelsea have earned more points at home in the calendar year 2025 (33) than any rival except Manchester City (34). Boasting a fine home record against promoted teams, the world champions will be hopeful of extending the current winning run on Saturday.

Chelsea team news

Maresca confirmed that there are no fresh injuries for the Blues to contend with following the midweek meeting with Ajax. Joao Pedro will be available after serving a suspension in midweek, but Malo Gusto will be absent due to the red card he received against Nottingham Forest last weekend.

There was also good news on Liam Delap's potential return, although Saturday's game against Sunderland will arrive too soon for him.

‘We don’t have any new injuries for the game this weekend,’ our head coach announced in his pre-match press conference at Cobham.

'Liam is doing well. He took part in the session yesterday with the team for the first time. He isn’t going to be available for tomorrow’s game, but maybe for the next ones. Possibly for the cup game next week, he could be available.'

Sunderland will be able to call upon Reinildo Mandava again, following his three-game ban for violent conduct, but Omar Alderete remains under observation after suffering a concussion.

Habib Diarra is a long-term absentee, while Leo Hjelde, Romaine Mundle, Dennis Cirkin and Aji Alese are not expected to return until after the November international break.

The history

Domestic cup disasters against Sunderland loom large in the memory of older supporters, but in the league at Stamford Bridge Chelsea have taken all the points from 40 of the 60 fixtures. That 67 per cent is the Londoners’ best win rate playing host to any club in the current top-flight.

In the first, a 2-1 Division One victory on 29 February, in leap year 1908, both the hosts’ goals were scored by Fred Rouse.

Over the years, the Londoners have averaged 2.28 goals when the Wearsiders come to call. That is thanks largely to the occasions when the hosts racked up larger margins – four of them 4-0, two 5-0, two 5-1, one 6-2 and a 7-2.

In March 1997, Ruud Gullit’s Wembley-bound warriors entertained Peter Reid’s relegation-threatened side and, with Dennis Wise pulling all the strings, Gianfranco Zola, Frank Sinclair and Dan Petrescu had Chelsea cruising after 50 minutes.

That 3-0 suddenly became 3-2, as the Black Cats clawed their way back, but the re-energised hosts added another three to make sure, two from Mark Hughes and the sixth from Roberto Di Matteo.

Carlo Ancelotti’s soon-to-be champions went one better in January 2010, Nicolas Anelka and Frank Lampard racking up braces alongside notches for Florent Malouda, Ashley Cole and Michael Ballack in a 7-2 thrashing.

The Black Cats have occasionally claimed victory over the Blues at the Bridge – as in 2001, 2010 (when Danny Welbeck netted the first of his six against us) and 2014. However, those were few and far between, and Chelsea have won each of our past three encounters at the Bridge by an aggregate score of 11-3.

Know this...

Chelsea have averaged five shots on target per Premier League match, the most in the top flight.

No top-flight team has netted more set-piece goals this season than Chelsea's eight, with six of them coming from corners.

Robert Sanchez has intercepted a higher percentage of opponents’ crosses (12.8 per cent) than any goalkeeper apart from Newcastle’s Nick Pope (18.8 per cent).

Only Brentford, Burnley and Crystal Palace have recorded lower ball possession over the campaign than the Black Cats (43.6 per cent).

Prior to Wednesday’s 5-1 beating of Ajax, Chelsea’s three youngest Champions League goal scorers were Reece James, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Arjen Robben. Now, they are Estevao Willian, Tyrique George and Marc Guiu.

Between 2001 and 2015, Chelsea set a Premier League record of 43 home games unbeaten against teams promoted the previous spring (matched by Arsenal in August 2025).

Only three of the past 69 promoted clubs to visit Stamford Bridge have taken all three points - Bournemouth, West Bromwich Albion and Brentford.