Chelsea vs Stoke City Preview

April 3, 2015
By: Deke Hardman

Hazard

Saturday’s Premier League action concludes at the home of the leaders as Chelsea take on Stoke City.

The hosts are unbeaten in the league since New Year’s Day, taking twenty-one points from the last twenty-seven available to leave them six points clear of second place Manchester City.

With the Champions not playing until Monday evening, Jose Mourinho’s men will be looking to further extend that lead, while they still have a game in hand over Manuel Pellegrini’s side.

Top scorer Diego Costa is set to miss out with the hamstring problem that kept him out of Spain’s recent internationals, while the Blues’ only other injury concern is John Obi Mikel, who has a knee injury.

Eden Hazard is 6.5 (11/2) to get the first goal of the game with Paddy Power, with Oscar an 8.0 (7/1) chance with the same firm.

The home win is widely available at 1.3 (3/10), with the visitors as highly priced as the 15.0 (14/1) on offer from Bet Victor. The draw is a 6.0 (5/1) chance with Bet 365.

Having recently won three games in a row, Mark Hughes men go in to the game following back to back defeats though they remain comfortably in the top half of the table, six points clear of eleventh place Crystal Palace.

Jonathan Walters could feature despite injuring his calf in training and Marc Muniesa could return from a hamstring injury though Victor Moses is ineligible to face his parent club.

Peter Crouch is 17.0 (16/1) to open the scoring with a number of firms, with Walters a 23.0 (22/1) shot with Paddy Power.

Chelsea won the reverse fixture at the Britannia Stadium by two goals to nil back in December, their sixth win against this opposition in seven meetings.

All six of those victories have come without the London side conceding, so you may be tempted to back the home win to nil at 1.85 (17/20) with Bet Victor.

Alternatively, as they have only scored a single goal in five of their last seven games, a 1-0 home win could be worth considering at 6.0 (5/1) with several bookmakers.

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