Prediction: Chelsea vs Stoke



Verdict: Chelsea to win to nil

Best Odds: 10/11

Bookmaker: bet365

Chelsea remained six points clear at the top of the standings as they eased off to a win over AFC Bournemouth, and they now aim to make it 13 league triumphs in a row. Stoke City, on the other hand, were soundly beaten by Liverpool and they have little to hope for ahead of the clash with Europe’s in-form side.

Chelsea

Chelsea were not able to increase their lead at the Premiership summit as top 8 sides all recorded victories on Boxing Day, but they were able to make a statement with what was their 12th successive Premier League triumph. Even if he had experienced minor problems during his early days at Old Trafford, Antonio Conte quickly proved he was the right man for the Stamford Bridge outfit and he is now receiving plaudits from all corners of the globe. It is still early into the season to make any predictions, but after their amazing performances over the last couple of months, the Premier League trophy is Chelsea’s to lose. The Blues have now won 12 straight league fixtures and are just two wins away from breaking Arsenal’s record for consecutive Premiership wins, so no doubt that will serve as extra motivation for upcoming fixtures against Stoke City and Tottenham Hotspur. The 3-0 triumph over AFC Bournemouth proved they can cope just fine without Diego Costa and N’Golo Kante, but the team are obviously stronger with them in the side. Eden Hazard continued his rich vein of form with another outstanding performance, while the back line kept fourth straight clean sheet, so we don’t see how out-of-form Stoke City are going to stop the hosts from winning on Saturday afternoon.

Team News

Diego Costa and N’Golo Kante will be recalled after serving one-match bans, while John Terry has resumed full training. Pedro has picked up a one-game suspension.



Stoke

Stoke City are once again going through a very rough patch, and they have now slipped to 13th in the overall standings. The Potters still boast a seven-point advantage over the bottom three, but they need to start winning or else they will be dragged into the relegation dogfight. Numerous injury problems have taken the wind out of their sails, and in lack of better options, manager Mark Hughes had no choice but to throw a number of players into action before they had time to reach full fitness. The likes of Glen Johnson, Ryan Shawcross and Erik Pieters all had to either play through the pain or immediately after resuming full training and that was all too evident in their performances. With few more defenders out injured, the Potters have been leaking goals for fun of late, conceding a total of 9 goals in last 4 fixtures. It is, therefore, not surprising that they failed to win any of those games, losing to Arsenal and Liverpool on the road, while sharing spoils with Southampton and Leicester City at home. When it comes to their away form, Stoke City have done fairly well of late, winning two of last five fixtures on the road, while scoring in each of their last seven away games.

Team News

Bojan Krkic, Wilfried Bony and Xherdan Shaqiri could be recalled, but Marko Arnautovic serves the final game of his three-match ban.

Phil Bardsley, Steven Ireland, Geoff Cameron and Jack Butland are all out injured and they will not be available for selection.

Key Factors to Consider

• Stoke City scored in each of last seven away games
• Chelsea won last 12 Premier League fixtures
• The Blues conceded just 2 goals in the process
• Chelsea are winless in last three meetings with Stoke (D1 L2)
• The Blues won nine of last ten home games vs the Potters (D1)

Conclusion

Chelsea have been absolutely tremendous of late, winning last 12 league games and conceding just two goals in the process. And even though the Potters managed to score in last seven away fixtures, we are backing red-hot Blues to win the game to nil.

Verdict: Chelsea to win to nil

Best Odds: 10/11

Bookmaker: bet365