Stoke City knocked off Chelsea the last time the Blues visited the Brittania Stadium, can they get a repeat performance on Monday?
Having already knocked off Arsenal at the Brittania Stadium this season, Stoke City welcome the Premier League leaders Chelsea, looking to cause their second big upset this month. Stoke's form has been inconsistent all season, but they're win over the Gunners is their only victory from their last five matches.
Chelsea meanwhile have seen their lead atop the EPL evaporate as Manchester City have caught fire of late. Still, they can enter the busy holiday period with a three point cushion if they can take care of business on Monday. Jose Mourinho will no doubt be reminding his squad about their visit to Stoke last season that saw the Blues upended 3-2.
While Stoke are dealing with several key injuries, Chelsea are fairly healthy, which will allow Mourinho some flexibility with his lineups over the next two weeks. Thibaut Courtois is expected back after missing the last two matches with a muscle injury. Diego Costa will likely need to be rested during this busy stretch, but it appears he'll be ready to go for Monday. Both Didier Drogba and Kurt Zouma are cleared to play after suffering knocks during league cup play.
Stoke's inability to keep a clean sheet could haunt them against Chelsea's strong attack, and they'll need to find a way to hit the Blues on the counter if they hope to pull off the upset. The Potters are also undefeated in their last six Monday matches ... which probably means nothing, but hey, you never know.
Bojan Krkić's hip should be healed up, as is Marc Muniesa's hamstring. Steven Ireland's knee remains a big doubt, though he could make the bench. Victor Moses, who is on-loan from Chelsea, is out with a thigh problem, but he couldn't have played anyway against his parent club.
Stoke City injuries and suspensions
Out: Victor Moses (thigh), Peter Odemwingie (knee), Steve Sidwell (knee), Dionatan Teixiera (ankle). In Doubt: Steven Ireland (knee), Bojan Krkić (hip), Marc Muniesa (hamstring)
Chelsea injuries and suspensions
In Doubt: Thibaut Courtois (muscle)
Match Date/Time: Monday, 8 p.m. local, 3 p.m. ET
Venue: Britannia Stadium, Stoke-on-Trent, England
TV: NBCSN (U.S. - English), Sportsnet World (Canada), Sky Sports 1/HD (U.K.)
Online: NBC Live Extra, (U.S.), Sportsnet World Now (Canada), Sky Go (U.K.)
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