Stoke City vs Chelsea
English Premier League, Season 2017/18
Date: Saturday, 23rd September 2017
Kick-off at 15:00 UK/ 16:00 CET
Venue: Bet365 Stadium (Stoke on Trent).
It’s been a strange sort of season for Stoke so far. Their opening five Premier League games have included matches against Everton, Arsenal, and Manchester United and they were never expected to pick up many points, but they have impressed in the tougher matches but fallen flat against the so called easier opposition.
This was illustrated in midweek as Bristol City knocked them out of the League Cup, following on from their league defeat at the newly promoted Newcastle last weekend. However, prior to that they managed a 2-2 draw against the in form Manchester United and beat Arsenal 1-0 at home in their second league match of the season.
The Potters’ home advantage in these two fixtures could well have come into play though, as they are notoriously difficult to beat there. In all honesty they fully deserved their results against Arsenal and Manchester United, and they will be quietly confident about getting a result against the champions on Saturday.
Stoke’s chances could be boosted by the fact that Chelsea have a trip to the formidable Atletico Madrid next week as well, which could see Antonio Conte rest a few players in preparation for one of their most important group matches.
The Blues were also in action in midweek as Michy Batshuayi’s hat-trick helped them to a 5-1 thrashing of Nottingham Forest, leaving them with five wins, one draw, and one defeat in their seven competitive outings.
They have only won three of their Premier League matches though, and their 3-2 defeat to Burnley in gameweek one highlighted some of their vulnerabilities. Given that Stoke have only lost three of their last 15 home games in the league, backing a Stoke Win or Draw Double Chance at 7/5 looks great value for money.
We’re also expecting both teams to find the net on Saturday. The visitors have conceded in eight of their last ten away games in the Premier League but have only failed to score once, while Stoke have scored in nine of their last ten at home but kept a clean sheet in just four. Odds of 19/20 for Both Teams to Score look good value, along with a 1-1 correct score predictions at 7/1.
Stoke City vs Chelsea: Head-to-head stats
The Blues won both Premier League head-to-head meetings of last season, 2-1 in the corresponding fixture at the Britannia before a thrilling 4-2 win at Stamford Bridge.
Both teams scored in 4 of the last five meetings.
Also, Chelsea won 5 of their last 9 away meetings with Stoke, drew 2 and lost 2. The two defeats came inside the last four seasons.
Stoke City vs Chelsea: Predictions
This could be a close match with the recent four h2h meetings at this stadium producing 2 wins each. Also, Stoke have a good account of themselves at home against strong teams in the division. Meanwhile, Chelsea are far from their best form that helped them win the title last season. The Blues have shown some poor discipline with the defense being sloppy on far too many occasions. So, if Stoke lost this game, it will be by the slimmest of the margins.
Stoke City vs Chelsea: Bet Tips
My primary pick for this fixture is Both Teams Scoring for 1.95 odds with Bet365.
