Chelsea V Stoke City
Football : England : FA Cup Quarter-Final
Sunday 7th March 2010 – Kickpff 4pm

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League leaders Chelsea look to rebound from the loss of their perfect home record at the hands of Manchester City.

Their visitors are Stoke City, a team in the news not because of their 3-1 upset of the same Manchester City, but for the on-pitch violence of one of their players, Ryan Shawcross.

Chelsea

Chelsea had gotten to this late stage of the season, having faced some excellent opposition, and remained undefeated at the Bridge. But things changed when Bridge and his angry City side came into London to claim revenge for recent off-pitch issues.

Chelsea were down to 9 men at the end of a brutal thumping at the hands of Bellamy and the returning Tevez, and they limped into the final whistle with a meaningless consolation goal from Lampard. The final score read 4-2, and humiliated Chelsea’s cracks are now well and truly clear for all to see.

With the 13 match home streak ended, Chelsea now look to brush off that defeat and book themselves a semi-final berth in the FA Cup. The west London club are by far the strongest side left in the competition at this stage, with Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool having been knocked out already.

Chelsea are favourites to win the tournament, but must beat a Stoke side that is more than capable of making a nuisance of themselves. In the reverse league fixture at the Britannia last year, Chelsea were pushed all the way by a resilient Stoke City, and only managed to win by a 96th minute strike from Malouda.

The worries for Blues fans and backers lie in the defence. John Terry was once again at fault in yet another shaky display, which resulted in Tevez’s equaliser. The bigger worry is reserve goalkeeper Hilario, who clearly looked out of his depth in place of the injured Cech. While Stoke aren’t quite on par with Manchester City in terms of attacking talent, they are a very physical side and will not roll over easily.

Beletti and Ballack are out through suspension. But Lampard will start, as will Drogba. After being shut out in the last game, I’d say it would be quite surprising if the same happened here. Drogba is quite a bully himself, with his physical play and abundance of talent in front of goal. Add to that his strike partner Anelka, and you can count on Chelsea to fight their way into the semi-finals.

Stoke City

It’s been quite a tough week for Tony Pulis and his team. After deservedly leading Arsenal yet again at home, they managed to lose 3-1, the game being overshadowed with the headlines focusing on the reckless challenges of their full back, Ryan Shawcross.

Shawcross was guilty of a dangerous tackle that left Arsenal’s talented 19 year old Aaron Ramsey with a broken leg and facing at least a year out of the game. With most of the players from both sides clearly shaken, it will take some effort from the manager to get them to come to this game and put in their usual physical effort against another top 4 side.

You just know the media will be watching every tackle made by Stoke, so it would not be surprising to see the Potters play a slightly tamer game. Against Chelsea, that just won’t do.

Stoke were on a 7 match unbeaten streak, but their momentum has clearly been killed. They’re in a similar position to their opponents, and it remains to be seen which side can pick themselves up and turn things around.

Stoke will have to do it without the suspended Shawcross, which is a big blow to the team’s defence. Luckily, Matthew Etherington, one of the best players to pull on a Stoke jersey this year, is now looking likely to make his return from a knee injury. His presence will be key, as he provides the forwards with the opportunities they will need against a weakened Chelsea defence. Fuller will make the trip, and will no doubt be looking to get on the end of one of Rory Delap’s freakish throw-ins.

The Betting Verdict

Try as I might, I just can’t see Stoke get a win here. They’ve done excellently so far in dispatching Manchester City, but with Chelsea having being freshly slapped back down to earth last weekend, I think Ancelotti will have Chelsea playing in ferocious fashion, eager to prove a point.

Drogba should terrorise Stoke’s defence and poach at least a goal in what will no doubt be a Chelsea win.

But the odds for the straight win are too short and Hilario between the sticks does not fill me with complete confidence, so it will be up to the forwards to drag in these bets.

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

Consider Drogba to score first @ 4.00 (PaddyPower)

HANDICAP BETTING :

Take Chelsea (AH -1.5) @ 1.90 (Pinnacle)