Rafa is not having a wonderful time at the Bridge. Constant barracking from the stands combined with a few shocking performances and an inability to get anything out of Fernando Torres will mean the Spaniard will most probably NOT be continuing his adventure as Chelsea manager next season.
Stoke vs Chelsea kicks off at 15:00. Get all the pre-match stats you need to wow your friends here
And it doesn’t get any easier. Saturday’s game against Stoke at the Brittania Stadium will be a real test for Rafa’s men. John Terry is back in the squad after injury but is highly unlikely to start while Petr Cech is still out. Victor Moses and John Obi Mikel are both out on international duty meaning that Frank Lampard could again feature.
Stoke do not have any new injury worries and go into the game having rested Asmir Begovic and Kenwyne Jones.
Chelsea are high up the form guide but Stoke are not too far behind:
When it comes to the fight not many teams can battle harder than Stoke. The Squawka match overview shows us they win a greater % of their duels than Chelsea and have only conceded one more goal than the Londoners.
For years Stoke have been labelled a long ball team but it appears that they actually have been creating a majority of their chances in the EPL this season right in front of the opposition defence Having said that, I have yet to see any other team that has higher chances created % than 1.4% from their own penalty area:
Chelsea however have fire-power aplenty. They have scored 39 goals from the so games they have played in the EPL with a majority of the goals going into either the low right or low left of the goal:
The danger men for both teams are their top scorers Juan Mata (7) & Jon Walters (5). Once again, the area Stoke excel over Chelsea is successful tackles:
This game will not be easy for Chelsea but expect a bounce back from the League Cup defeat to Swansea with a hard fought win.
Stoke vs Chelsea kicks off at 15:00. Get all the pre-match stats you need to wow your friends here
By Sanjit Atwal
Follow us @Squawka_Sports
Topics: Chelsea, Preview, Stoke City
