Chelsea will look to bounce back from two consecutive defeats and get their season back on track when Jose Mourinho's men host Stoke City in the English Premier League on Saturday.
Where to Watch Live:
The game is scheduled for a 5.30 pm BST (10 pm IST, 12.30 pm ET) start with live coverage on Star Sports 2 and Star Sports HD1 in India. The action can also be watched online via live streaming in India HERE. Catch the action in the US HERE, while UK viewers can watch to the match live HERE. The match can be watched live online in the Middle East and North Africa HERE, while South Africa and Sub Saharan Africa viewers can catch the action HERE. Latin America viewers can live stream the action HERE, while the audience in Brazil can view the match HERE. The game can be live streamed by Canada viewers HERE, while Australia viewers can do so HERE.
The Blues went down to Crystal Palace 1-0, courtesy a John Terry own goal, last weekend, before crashing to a 3-1 defeat at the hands of PSG in the Champions League quarterfinal first leg.
Mourinho ruled out Chelsea's chances of winning the Premier League title following that unexpected loss to Palace, but, nevertheless, a victory over Stoke at Stamford Bridge will see them climb back to the top of the table, with the manager insisting he would not field a weakened side against Stoke, in preparation for the visit of PSG for the second leg on Tuesday.
"I am not saying I am going to rest eight players against Stoke because in the league we have no chance and we still can win against Paris Saint-Germain," the Portuguese said.
"I am saying go for the six league matches we have to play and try to win the six matches. The moment we don't want to give everything to win any of these matches, we are not good professionals which is something I don't accept someone saying about me or my players."
Chelsea are two points behind leaders Liverpool, and one adrift of Manchester City, who beat Southampton earlier in the day, and even if City have a couple of games in hand, the title is still very much within Chelsea's grasp.
In the reverse fixture at the Britannia Stoke pulled off a dramatic victory over Chelsea courtesy a late goal from on-loan Liverpool man Oussama Assaidi. Stoke have pulled away from a possible relegation battle, and currently sit pretty in tenth on 40 points, and Mourinho knows three points will not come easy on Saturday.
"We lost there because we made a couple of mistakes, it's one of the few matches where we have made defensive mistakes this season," Mourinho said of the 3-2 defeat in December. "We could have been winning at halftime easily and we arrived at halftime drawing.
"They are a difficult opponent, we played them in the FA Cup at Stamford Bridge, we won 1-0 but it wasn't an easy match, it was open until the end, so it will be difficult. They are fresh, they play one match a week, they have no pressure and they will fight to finish the season in a beautiful position, they want to finish seventh, not 11th."
Stoke manager Mark Hughes is wary of a backlash, but believes his side are capable of becoming the first team to come away with three points against a Chelsea team managed by Mourinho.
"I think it's fair to say that their form at the moment isn't where they would expect it to be," Hughes told the club's official website. "What you find with top clubs though is they bounce back very quickly, and when questions are asked, top players and top teams more often than not they tend to have the answers.
"We have to be mindful of a backlash, but we are in a good place at the moment, and if there is ever a good time to go to a place like Stamford Bridge then that is when you are in better form that Chelsea, which we possibly are at the moment.
"This weekend provides a massive challenge for us, but one that we are looking forward to. It is an incredible record that they have at Stamford Bridge but this is an opportunity for our lads to go down there and make a bit of history."
Team news: Chelsea: John Obi Mikel and Samuel Eto'o are ruled out, while Marco Van Ginkel continues his recover from a long-term injury with the U-21s. Ramires serves the final match of his suspension, but Ashley Cole returns to the squad after an injury layoff.
Stoke City: Hero of the reverse fixture Assaidi is ruled out with a knee problem along with experienced defender and former Chelsea man Robert Huth.
Expected lineups: Chelsea: Cech; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta; Matic, Lampard; Salah, Schurrle, Hazard; Torres.
Stoke City: Begovic; Cameron, Shawcross, Wilson, Pieters; N'Zonzi, Whelan; Odemwingie, Ireland, Arnautovic; Crouch.
