English Premier
2011-08-14 - Stoke City vs Chelsea
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football : English Premier League
Sunday 14 August 2011 - Kickoff 1:30pm
This game is live on TV
Stoke City
Tony Pulis has done an excellent job at the Brittania Stadium and there is a real expectation at the club that they can take yet another leap forward as they bring European football to the club. Stoke will also be hoping to improve in the League again this season and perhaps finish in the top half of the table if possible.
They have made some interesting signings in the off-season with the likes of Jonathan Woodgate and Matthew Upson coming in to strengthen an already tough defence. Stoke also have a bid in for Wilson Palacious and Peter Crouch of Tottenham as Pulis looks to make a few more signings to strengthen his squad.
Stoke finished 13th in the Premier League last season, but they could have finished higher if they had not began preparing for the FA Cup Final. Their success was again based on their performances in front of their passionate home fans and they finished with a 10-4-5 record, scoring 31 goals and conceding 18.
The Potters had been unbeaten in their last 11 home games in all competitions before falling to a 0-1 defeat to Wigan on the final day of the season. They have already started in a positive manner at home this season with a 1-0 win recorded over Hajduk Split in the Europa League.
Jonathan Woodgate could start in this game although Matthew Upson is not quite ready to take part following his move from West Ham United. Rory Delap and Matthew Etherington are winning their fights to be passed fit, but Ricardo Fuller, Mamady Sidibe and Danny Higginbotham will all be missing.
Chelsea
Chelsea relinquished their grip on the Premier League title and the FA Cup last season and subsequently removed Carlo Ancelotti as the manager at the end of only his 2nd season at the club. Roman Abramhovic decided to hand the reins to Andre Villas-Boas, a young manager who had plenty of success with Porto (where have I heard that before?) but there is some tough work to be done for the Blues to be successful this season.
A lot of the players that have achieved so much at the club are coming to the end of their shelf life with Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and John Terry all entering their 30's. There will be big hopes that the best of Fernando Torres will be seen after his struggles since moving from Liverpool, but the biggest problem remains the midfield which will also be missing Michael Essien this season.
The proposed transfer of Luka Modric from Tottenham is still on going, but it does seem like an area of the pitch where Chelsea may struggle. It will be interesting how that works out for the Blues over the course of the season.
Chelsea finished 2nd in the Premier League last season, finishing a big 9 points behind Manchester United. They had a 7-5-7 away record, scoring 30 goals and conceding 20 which meant Chelsea finished with the joint best away defence alongside their West London neighbours Fulham.
They will come into this match with Stoke knowing they have lost their last 2 away games in the League, although they were unbeaten in their previous 6 away from Stamford Bridge.
Fernando Torres is available to start after suffering a mild concussion last week. Daniel Sturridge misses out through suspension and David Luiz is out until next week at the earliest.
Head to Head
Chelsea had a very strong record against Stoke since the latter came back up to the top flight- Chelsea had won their first 6 meetings in that time, although their latest game ended 1-1 when they met here in early April.
Chelsea had to come from behind to earn a draw in that last game, while the time before the Blues came from behind to win here 1-2.
Prediction
This match represents an extremely difficult test for Chelsea to open their new campaign, but it is game that could also help them to build some early momentum if they can come away with all 3 points.
Stoke could have a real edge having already played a couple of competitive games, and they have proved how tough they are to beat at home over the last couple of seasons, using that form as a foundation on which to build their Premier League survival.
I am sure the home fans will create a great atmosphere and there is a real chance Stoke can cause a surprise and win this game.
Personally I would not be that surprised if any of the potential results came about and so I will instead look at another market, and that is the 'both teams to score' market.
That would have been a winner in the last 2 meetings at the Brittania Stadium between the two sides and I think both sides will have their chances in this game. Chelsea have a lot of options in the final third, but I think they have enough issues in the middle of the park that will allow Stoke to get a strong foothold in the game themselves.
I can see this being an entertaining game to kick off the season 'Super Sunday'.
The Pick :
Stoke City 1-1 Chelsea
