Chelsea head to the Midlands on Monday night for the proverbial winter night in Stoke knowing that they need a victory to re-establish their three-point lead at the top of the table.
But they will do so against a background of accusations of cheating, given the amount of diving alleged during their recent game against Hull - a performance that Hull boss Steve Bruce said was like watching "Swan Lake".
Stoke boss Mark Hughes played down any such suggestion, while Jose Mourinho made a public call for the referee - Neil Swarbrick - to be vigilant.
The Potters will fancy their chances of pulling off a victory: their last home match was a now-famous 3-2 win over Arsenal, which ended a poor run of consecutive defeats - and they come into the match knowing that a win would pull them back into the top half of the table.
TEAM NEWS
Stoke forward Bojan Krkic looks set to be fit for Monday's match after sustaining a hip injury in Saturday's 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace, but the Spaniard has trained this week and Potters boss Mark Hughes expects him to be available to face the Blues. Defender Marc Muniesa has recovered from the hamstring complaint which prevented him from being involved in the Palace match, while Hughes is optimistic a knee problem picked up by Stephen Ireland will not rule the midfielder out of Monday's contest.
Chelsea expect that Thibaut Courtois should be fit to return after missing the Blues' last two matches with a muscular injury. Didier Drogba should overcome an ankle injury sustained in the Capital One Cup win against Derby, while defender Kurt Zouma is available for selection after suffering a head injury on Tuesday.
MANAGER QUOTES
Mark Hughes: "Nobody else has [won the quadruple] but they’ve got the potential to do it. I would have to say yes, they are strong enough. There will be some very good teams who will try and stand in the way but I don’t think where we are sat today you could argue that they’ve got no chance because that would be incorrect. They have a chance, a better chance than most teams. The talk of winning every trophy, maybe in-house they believe that themselves. It wouldn’t surprise me if they did. Once they get to a point in the season, around March or April, and if they are still in all competitions, having probably won the League Cup, then they will feel it’s a real option for them, a real possibility. You wouldn’t back against them if they get to that point in the season. It certainly wouldn’t surprise me if they won all four.”
Jose Mourinho: "I like these matches. It’s no problem - with a good referee that can understand what is aggressivity, or when aggressivity finishes and when the rules of the game start. We need a good, experienced referee who can understand exactly that. [on keeping fringe squad players happy] It’s not a difficult situation for me. I’m very club, team, team, club, group. I think everybody has to be ready to sacrifice for the team, to give everything for the team, to think about the team, not to be selfish. This is the way I want a team to be... If they are not involved I don’t have a secret to keeping them happy. They are unhappy and frustrated, and need to be patient, but the reality is that, to be successful and work at a high level, you don’t need to be happy. All of them are professionals. The team is more important than individuals."
MATCH FACTS
The Potters have failed to score in five of the last six Premier League games against Chelsea.
Chelsea have won nine and lost just one of the 12 Barclays Premier League meetings with Stoke City, but the defeat came last season in this fixture at the Britannia Stadium.
Former Chelsea player Mark Hughes has won two and lost none of his last four matches as a manager in home games against the Blues.
Stoke City have conceded a goal in each of their last 10 Premier League games; the longest run without a clean sheet in the competition this season.
Jose Mourinho surpassed the 400-point mark as a Premier League manager last weekend and in doing so became the quickest to reach this tally (174 games – 17 quicker than Sir Alex Ferguson).
38.5% of Chelsea’s throw-ins this season have been long – a higher proportion than any other PL side (Stoke are fifth on 32.8%).
Chelsea have lost only one of their last 19 Premier League games played on a Monday (W11 D7 L1).
Stoke City are unbeaten in their last six Premier League games played on a Monday (W2 D4), including a 1-0 win over Newcastle at home earlier this season.
Eden Hazard has made more successful passes in the attacking third than any other Premier League player this season (450).
Hazard has not scored a PL goal away from home since Jan 11th 2014, with his last 11 goals in the competition all coming at Stamford Bridge.
FANTASY PICK
Eden Hazard - Sure, it's the legendary winter night in Stoke that the likes of Hazard traditionally struggle with. But talk of new contracts have an amazing tendency to focus players' minds on producing their best...
MATCH ODDS
Stoke 9-2, Chelsea 8-13, draw 19-5
No comments:
Post a Comment