Chelsea travel to Stoke this weekend looking to get back to winning ways after drawing at home to Arsenal at Stamford Bridge.
The Premier League champions will be feeling confident and refreshed after Antonio Conte handed chances to a number of youth players during the midweek League Cup clash against Nottingham Forest.
We’ve picked out some key battles from today’s game, that may decide where the match is won and lost.
Alvaro Morata vs Bruno Martins Indi
Can Alvaro Morata do it on a wet and windy afternoon in Stoke? We’ll find out on Saturday as the Spaniard is a sure bet to return to the starting line-up after being rested in the midweek game.
Stoke will be without Kurt Zouma, who is ineligible for the game against his parent club, they’ll also have to contend with a number of injuries, meaning it’s likely to be Bruno Martins Indi tasked with stopping the former Real Madrid man.
Morata did not have his greatest of games against Arsenal, but he’ll be desperate to put in a strong performance following the news of Diego Costa’s departure.
Andreas Christensen vs Mame Diouf
Whether or not Andreas Christensen is rewarded with a Premier League start is still unclear. Both he and Antonio Rudiger will be competing to replace David Luiz, who will miss the match due to suspension.
Something that Stoke have struggled with in recent games is finding the back of the net. Mame Diouf could be the man to start centrally against Chelsea on Saturday with the likes of Jese and Xherden Shaqiri alongside him. Stoke do have pace out wide and boast the ability to deliver quality in the direction of the central striker.
Christensen has impressed when given the chance so far this season, he’ll be aiming to do the same at Stoke on Saturday.
Eden Hazard vs Glen Johnson
Conte has confirmed that Eden Hazard has fully recovered from his injury and after starting against Forest during the week, he could feature in Saturday’s team.
If he is to start against Stoke he’ll come up against former Chelsea and Liverpool defender Glen Johnson, who has a wealth of experience in the Premier League.
Chelsea fans can still expect to see some signs of rustiness from the Belgian, who, as expected, is going to need a few games to get back up to speed.
However, Hazard is a class above and that shows whenever he is on the pitch for the champions.
Gary Cahill vs Xherden Shaqiri
One of Stoke’s most potent threats comes in the form of former Bayern Munich winger Shaqiri, who scored a fantastic goal away at Newcastle last weekend.
Shaqiri is full of tricks and can often cut inside to try and catch opposing defenders off guard. Club captain Gary Cahill is likely to be the man tasked with keeping tabs on the Swiss international on Saturday.
Injuries mean that Stoke could be without an ‘out and out’ striker against the champions, so Mark Hughes will be looking to share the goals around his squad.
