Jose Mourinho has sympathised with Sunderland and believes that they do not deserve to be at the bottom of the Premier League.

The Black Cats host Mourinho's Chelsea - whom they also meet in the quarter-finals of the Capital One Cup later this month - at the Stadium of Light on Wednesday night, and go into the game five points adrift of safety inside the relegation zone.

"I was analysing their match against Newcastle at home and Man City at home. These were the matches I focused on," Mourinho said in a press conference. "I think they are better than the points they have.

"The quality of their players is not comparable with some teams in that part of the table, but I think they are in a moment where one point doesn't make a big difference.

"They need three points. They need two or three victories to get out of the dangerous area. I don't think they can play in a defensive way. That is why they have a positive approach - because they need to win matches. I think Gustavo's style is to try and play good football. I think we have two very difficult matches."

You can read live coverage of Sunderland vs. Chelsea from the Stadium of Light with Sports Mole from 6.45pm tonight.