Jose Mourinho and his Blues will try to keep their unbeaten streak at home this Saturday, when Stoke City pays their visit to Stamford Bridge this season. With Diego Costa's place in Chelsea's Starting XI doubtful due to a harmstring injury, Roman Abramovich's squad will face The Potters with Mark Hughes leading them, and hoping to get his first win as a coach while playing at Chelsea's ground.
Before the recent international break, Chelsea struggled to get a victory against Hull City due to their own mistakes. Leading 2-0 after 10 minutes, the Blues conceded with huge defensive mishaps by Filipe Luis and Thibaut Courtois, giving the Tigers a chance to fight for the three points. In the end, Loic Remy came off the bench to save the day, keeping Chelsea's six point lead over Manchester City. If Diego Costa isn't fit to play, the French striker who is having his debut season in the Premier League will be the front-runner to take his place. Whoever gets the Blues' goalscoring duties will need Cesc Fabregas and Eden Hazard's contribution to give their fans three more points to get them closer to another EPL trophy.
Stoke City desperately needs to earn some points before things get tougher for them. With two straight defeats, The Potters appear to be the clear underdogs when they jump on the pitch, but certainly won't got out quietly into the night. With such strikers as Mame Diouf and veteran Peter Crouch, things will not be as easy as expected for the hosts.
If The Potters need something to motivate them, how about breaking some recent stats? For example, Chelsea has kept a clean sheet against Stoke City for five straight games at Stamford Bridge. Furthermore, the Blues have lost only one game out of their thirteen meetings against their visitors on Saturday, with two draws and ten wins for Mourinho's men. Their previous clash this season ended up with a 2-0 win for Chelsea, with goals scored by John Terry and Cesc Fabregas.
Chelsea vs Stoke City team sheets
Chelsea's lineup: Courtois; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry (c), Azpilicueta; Matic, Fabregas; Willian, Oscar, Hazard; Remy.
Stoke City's lineup: Begovic; Cameron, Shawcross (c), Wollscheid, Wilson; Ireland, Whelan, Nzonzi, Adam; Walters, Diouf.
Chelsea's bench:Cech, Zouma, Filipe Luis, Ramires, Cuadrado, Drogba, Diego Costa.
Stoke City's bench: Butland, Bardsley, Pieters, Muniesa, Arnautovic, Sidwell, Crouch.
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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