The Top Flight
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Stoke City vs Chelsea FC: Thoughts and Prediction

By Lou Flavius

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Chelsea FC suffered a 3-2 defeat on their visit to the Britannia Stadium last season. They were undone by a superb late strike from Oussama Assaidi, after having taken the upper hand through Andre Schurrle’s early goal.

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On Monday, Stoke City will again host the Blues on their home ground, and they will be hoping for a repeat of last season’s result. They managed to pull off a 3-2 victory against Arsenal two games ago, and their match against Crystal Palace ended in a 1-1 draw.

Known for being hard to break down, the Potters have already allowed 21 goals this season, and Jose Mourinho will be keen to exploit what could be considered a defensive frailty in the team. Currently sitting in the 12th spot on the Premier League table, they have scored 18 goals, as opposed to Chelsea’s 36.

By the time Chelsea take to the pitch on Monday, they could find themselves uncomfortably tied on points with Manchester City, as Pellegrini’s men will be kicking off early Saturday morning vs Crystal Palace. A City win would definitely place pressure on the Blues, so they will be focused on leaving the Britannia with a positive result.

Mourinho’s men are playing good football, but not getting desired results as of late. They did come up with a 2-0 Home victory against Hull City, but only took four points from the three games before that. They were held by Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, victorious at home against Tottenham, but suffered their first loss of the season vs Newcastle.

Team News

Stoke have seven players who are currently injured, one of which wouldn’t be available anyway. Victor Moses — who is on loan from Chelsea — is currently out with a thigh muscle strain.

Stephen Ireland (knee), Steve Sidwell (knee), Peter Odemwingie(ACL/knee), Bojan Krkic (thigh), Dionatan Teixeira (ankle), Marc Muniesa (Hamstring) are also out injured, but Ireland, Krkic and Muniesa may be fit enough to play by Monday.

Chelsea’s first-choice goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois (groin) may also be fit in time for the clash, but they should be without striker Didier Drogba, who suffered an ankle injury during the Capital One Cup quarter final against Derby on Tuesday.

Kurt Zouma — who was stretchered off after a head collision with Petr Cech on Tuesday — should be available for selection. Youngster Nathan Ake should also be good to go, after spending some time out due to a hamstring issue.

Prediction

This should be a very difficult match for both teams, Stoke City will have the advantage of being at home, and they will fancy their chances of nicking a result. They can count on striker Peter Crouch and midfield man Jonathan Walters to give them viable threatening options, and they also have a sturdy defender in the form of Ryan Shawcross.

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Mourinho recently said that teams usually have the “game of their lives” when playing against his Chelsea team, so he will be expecting Stoke to raise the bar, especially after Arsenal’s embarrassment. He will have his main men back in the squad, as strangely, no one will be out on suspension.

Diego Costa is back among the goals, but the striker will have quite the task on his hands dealing with Stoke’s robust defending. He will also have his main assistant Cesc Fabregas behind him, so that’s a definite plus.

Final score: Stoke-1, Chelsea- 2.

Next: Can Chelsea win the Quadruple?

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