Chelsea will visit the Bet365 Stadium on Saturday to play against the Potters in a very important encounter of Premier League. Chelsea are currently situated in third position in the League Table with 10 points in 5 matches and they are aldeady 3 points behind two Manchester clubs. Chelsea will try to close the gap as soon as possible. They must win this match to keep pace with two Manchester clubs and to stay in the contention of winning the League this season.
Chelsea had drawn against Arsenal with a 0-0 scoreline at Stamford Bridge. They were not looking very comfortable against Arsenal. Conte have to look into this matter seriously and have to make some changes in his tactics. They had won the League Cup match against Nottingham Forest convincingly with a scoreline of 5-1 which will surely boost up their confidence level before this match. But they have to keep in mind that the game will not be that much easy against Stoke at their own den.
Stoke are running through a mixed form in this season. They had beaten Arsenal 1-0 with a goal of Jese and also held Manchester United with a scoreline of 2-2 with a brace of Choupo-Moting. But their recent form is not that much well. They were beaten by the newly promoted team Newcastle United previous week in Premier League and had been out of the League Cup by losing against Bristol City with a 2-0 scoreline. They will surely be eyeing for a comeback from this match and will try to continue their good performance against the big clubs in this season.
Team News :
Stoke City :
Stoke Manager Hughes is facing a real problem in his defense as Kurt Zouma will not be available for selection for this match as per his loan contract between Stoke and Chelsea. Shawcross and Cameron both are having injuries.
Hughes might take a risk to play Shawcross with slight injury in the Stoke defense along with the new signing from Spurs this season, Kevin Wimmer and an experienced campaigner Martins Indi. Allen, Fletcher, Diouf and Pieters might start in the midfield while Shaqiri and Jese will help Choupo-Moting in the upfront.
Chelsea :
David Luiz is suspended for this match due to the red card against Arsenal in the previous Premier League match. Rudiger might come in his place. Danny Drinkwater is absent for a long period of time due to a sustained calf muscle injury.
Courtois will be back in goal after being rested in the League Cup match. Rudiger, Azpilicueta and Cahill will be in the heart of the defense. Moses and Alonso will start as two wingbacks. Fabreagas and Kante will play in the central midfield. Eden Hazard might start the game after recovering from his injury. Pedro and Morata are also expected to lead Chelsea from the upfront.
Probable Starting Eleven :
Stoke City : (3-4-2-1)
Goalkeeper : Butland
Defenders : Shawcross, Martins Indi, Wimmer.
Midfielders : Allen, Fletcher, Diouf, Pieters.
Attackers : Shaqiri, Jese ;Choupo-Moting.
Chelsea : (3-4-3)
Goalkeeper : Courtois
Defenders : Rudiger, Cahill, Azpilicueta.
Midfielders : Moses, Kante, Fabregas, Alonso.
Attackers : Hazard, Morata, Pedro.
My Score Prediction :
Stoke City 1-2 Chelsea.
