Chelsea face a struggling Sunderland side on Wednesday as part of the Premier League's midweek programme. The Black Cats are fighting relegation while Chelsea top the table, but a long trip to the northeast will not necessarily be a walkover for Antonio Conte's men.
The Blues face a new challenge this week: a lack of European action has seen them play roughly once every seven days up to now, but the Christmas fixture list means the matches will come thick and fast between now and the New Year.
Sunderland beat Chelsea 3-2 at the Stadium of Light last season but will face a stronger team this time around, with Conte's charges looking to extend their winning run to 10 consecutive encounters.
CHELSEA INJURIES
Nemanja Matic was ruled out of the recent defeat of Manchester City but has now recovered from his calf injury and is now available for selection. Eden Hazard picked up a knock after a heavy challenge during the 1-0 win over West Brom, meanwhile, but he is also expected to be fit.
Oscar missed Sunday's victory with illness but he could return to the matchday squad, but John Terry's comeback will probably not arrive until Saturday's meeting with Crystal Palace. John Obi Mikel and Ruben Loftus-Cheek appear to be fit again after missing several weeks of action.
If required, Kurt Zouma is ready to make his first Chelsea appearance since suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury against Manchester United in February. The France international has been playing for the Under-23s as he nears a return to first-team action.
CHELSEA SUSPENSIONS
Costa has been one yellow card away from a suspension ever since he was booked against Arsenal in September, but the Spain international has been on his best behaviour in recent months. He will earn a ban for the visit to Crystal Palace if he is booked on Wednesday, however.
Nemanja Matic, N'Golo Kante and David Luiz are also only one booking away from a suspension, while Cesar Azpilicueta has received three yellow cards this year. The disciplinary records reset at the start of 2017.
CHELSEA POTENTIAL STARTING LINE-UP
Conte has made very few changes during the nine-game winning run, although Matic was replaced by Cesc Fabregas for the triumph at the Etihad Stadium.
While Chelsea are therefore unlikely to make major alterations on Wednesday, Conte did suggest that he will have to evaluate the condition of his players as the fixture schedule gets busier.
Willian could be recalled after two successful cameos off the bench, while Fabregas may also be brought into the side to freshen things up. Conte will likely stick with the 3-4-3 formation that has helped his side turn their season around, although there have been a few signs that opponents have started to work them out in recent weeks.
Nevertheless, the switch to three at the back has clearly tightened up the Blues's defence, while the fact that Chelsea have scored 23 goals in their last nine games means drastic changes are highly unlikely.
SUNDERLAND DOSSIER
Sunderland will be without Duncan Watmore, who is out for the rest of the campaign after sustaining a knee injury last week. Lee Cattermole, Jack Rodwell, Lynden Gooch and Paddy McNair will also miss out with various fitness problems of their own.
Didier Ndong is also sidelined through suspension, which leaves David Moyes with selection headache in midfield ahead of this week's meeting with the Premier League leaders.
BEST OPTA MATCH FACTS
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Jermain Defoe is the only player to have scored against Chelsea with four different Premier League clubs (West Ham, Tottenham, Portsmouth and Sunderland).
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Only two teams have stopped Diego Costa either scoring or assisting in the Premier League this season – Manchester United at Stamford Bridge and Arsenal at the Emirates.
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Chelsea haven’t lost successive Premier League games against Sunderland since March 2001.
TV COVERAGE & KICK-OFF TIME
In the UK, the won't be broadcast live with highlights to be made available on BBC One's Match of the Day at around 22:30 GMT.
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