Chelsea need a win on Saturday to keep their slim hopes of a Premier League title alive, while Stoke City are nearing the point where they are mathematically safe from any chance of being relegated. With that in mind, it would seem reasonable to expect a highly motivated Chelsea side, and a Stoke side with little to nothing left to play for. With that in mind, it may not be out of the realm of possibility to see a typically conservative Stoke side be a bit more adventurous than normal, and make a run at Jose Mourinho's unbeaten Stamford Bridge record.
Unfortunately, Stoke aren't a particularly dynamic offensive team, even if they're slowly moving away from the tactics Tony Pulis generally used. They still like to bypass the midfield and push the ball to the wings, while playing a physical game, defending deep and narrow.
Regardless of which eleven players Mourinho elects to start on Saturday, they'll be a clear favorite to take maximum points at home against Stoke. Scoring an early goal or two would be awfully nice though, as we haven't been nearly clinical enough in front of goal lately.
Opponent: Stoke City FC (LWDWWW), 10th place, 40 pts, -8 GD
Venue: Stamford Bridge, London, England
Date/time: Saturday April 5 at 17:30 BST (12:30 pm ET, 9:30 am PT, 22:00 IST)
Forecast: Moderate temperatures with a 60% chance of rain. Not exactly a cold, rainy Tuesday night in Stoke.
Chelsea squad news: The Blues will be without John Obi Mikel, Marco van Ginkel, and Samuel Eto'o due to injury. Ramires will be serving the final game of his three-match ban, while Ashley Cole has returned to the squad and should be available for selection on Saturday.
Stoke City squad news: Stoke are relatively healthy, but will be missing both Oussama Assaidi and Robert Huth.
Television and streaming: In the UK, Sky Sports 1/HD has the game. In the US, it can be found on NBC and NBC Sports Live Extra. Indian fans will be able to watch on Star SPorts HD 1 and Star Sports 2, while all other fans can check this link for listings in their area.