Closed Stoke v Chelsea

[Degg141 21]

Sorry to hear about that, yeah I'm sure the fans will do this for you, like the newcastle 17th minute.

Thank you

[Liquidator 5,176]

Hi, I'm a stoke fan and I was just wondering if you'd all take a minute to look at this post as it would mean a lot for me and my family, thank you

Nathan Smallwood from Longton, who died in a car crash on Saturday night. He was just 28 years old and leaves a wife who is still critically ill in hospital and tragically leaves 4 very young kids. The eldest of the kids is only 6 and will be at the game on Monday.

I never knew Nathan personally....members of my family are very close friends of Nathan's family, but I know that as well as being a massive Stoke fan, he was also a great family man as well doing loads of things for those around him, including organising a kids football team.

It would be a massive show of support from all Stoke fans to his family, in particular his son at the game if we could do a minutes round of applause on the 28th minute. It would mean a lot to all of them at this tragic time.

I hope everyone will pass the word on this and we can get enough people to make this happen.

Also, anyone who knew him who would like to leave a message here for the family please feel free to do so.

Thanks for your time in reading this post. Let's make this happen please.

Sorry to hear that. Will let people I know who are going aware of it and ask them to spread the word

[zolayes 14,489]

one thing is certain .. Our travelling fans will show respect ,,,

[CurlyHairLikeLuiz 1,625]

Let's hope we can drum up extra away support - The boys are gonna need it by the looks of things.

[zolayes 14,489]

Surprised this thread is still only on one page!

THIS was on Page TWO

[-Kaplan- 410]

It's the cavemen again. These guys play a mix of karate and rugby. We should have ramires there. Or someone who can throw in a few kicks and elbows. Besides costa.

[ZOS 580]

If Chelsea loose this one, it will be a start of a downward spiral, I'm afraid.

So let's hope the boys will be up for it. COYB!!

[Viper22 2,418]

----------------Tibo------------------

-Azpi-----JT-----Zouma-----Luis-

---------------Matic------------------

-----Ramires-------Fabregas-----

-Willian--------------------Hazard-

---------------Costa-----------------

Subs: Cech, Ivan, Ake, Mikel, Oscar, Schurrle, Remy.

Is what i'd play. Jose won't though, his will be the exact same team as always (is that a bad thing though? Who knows).

Ramires and Costa will get stuck into their players like they will get stuck into ours. Willian and Ramires' endless stamina will help big time too.

Will be one of the hardest 5 games of the season for us, easily. If we get 3 points we should be chuffed to bits with the boys.

Come on you blues!

[Billy. 2,742]

the fact that city will most prob be on the same points as us before we play this will but massive pressure on the lads, lets see of they are up to it

[BleedsBlue 1,549]

This will be a tough game. No doubt about it and honestly I wouldn't be disappointed with a draw. Yes 3 points should be the aim but a point wouldn't be bad either.

[petre.ispirescu 4,928]

Petr has been on and off lately when it comes to defending corners and free-kicks and I hope Thibo will be ready in time for this game. He is the perfect GK to be facing the kind of team Stoke are.

Other than that this is a must win game as City will probably get past Palace with ease and United will batter a depleted Aston Villa. Hideous ground but Chelsea must get out of that shit hole with the three points.

Diego

Eden Oscar Willian

Matic Cesc

Azpilicueta JT Cahill Ivanovic

Courtois

[RoyalBlues 4,050]

Mourinho: Ready and adaptable

Jose Mourinho reports his squad are ready for the challenges that await them over the Christmas and new year period.

The Blues have four Barclays Premier League games in just 11 days, starting with the trip to Stoke on Monday, and speaking at his customary Friday pre-match press conference ahead of that match the manager assessed the forthcoming run of fixtures.

‘Everybody has to play these four matches in this short space of time so everybody is in the same circumstances,’ he said. ‘Obviously some are lucky to have easier fixtures in this period but that’s a draw and you can’t do anything about that. For us it’s difficult: three matches away and only one at home.

‘Even the one we have at home will be a London derby against one of the best teams in the competition and the three matches away are Tottenham, Southampton and Stoke so it’s difficult for us but we are ready.’

For the trip to Staffordshire on Monday Jose Mourinho thinks Thibaut Courtois will be available for selection again having missed the past couple of games with a minor muscle injury, though the manager couldn’t say so with 100 per cent certainty.

He also reported Kurt Zouma is fine and can play, while he expects Didier Drogba, another player who went off injured at Derby in midweek, to be available as well.

During the conference the manager was also asked for his reaction to Wednesday’s night Capital One Cup draw, which paired us with Liverpool, and he responded by saying it’s normal to play a semi-final against one of the best teams in the competition.

As always Mourinho stressed the importance of just focusing on the next match, though, and for now that means an away game at Stoke City.

‘They are a good and difficult side,' he assessed. 'They have that important base that Tony Pulis gave them: physicality, set-pieces, aggressive, direct. This was the base of their success since they came to the Premier League.

'In the last couple of years with Mark Hughes, without losing that identity, he has brought some of his own ideas, some players that can have more than that physicality.

'We have to go there and play our game but we know well their qualities as a team and their qualities individually and we have also to adapt to it. If you know you’re going to play against Peter Crouch, if you know you’re going to play against the kind of defenders they have and you don’t adapt to that you are in trouble. We can adapt to that because we have qualities that allow us to adapt.’

Mourinho’s men will be going for, as he put, a ‘quadruple’ on Monday – that is, winning four consecutive matches. He said if we are to have a chance of winning different competitions this season we must ‘do a few quadruples’.

One man who will be trying to deny us victory at the Britannia is the Spanish forward Bojan, somebody Mourinho is familiar with, as he recalled.

‘Bojan is the only player that almost killed me with a heart attack because in the last minute of Barcelona against Inter in the semi-final of the Champions League (in 2010) he scored an amazing goal – offside! I looked to the other side and to the linesman – offside!

‘Apart from that he is a very dangerous player who is adapting well to the Premier League, which is never easy for a striker.’

http://www.chelseafc.com/news/latest-news/2014/12/newsflash--courtois-could-be-back.html

It feels a little bit strange having a press conference 3 days before the actual match.

[Nero 1,874]

[Chelsea Legend 11 4,062]

----------------Tibo------------------

-Azpi-----JT-----Zouma-----Luis-

---------------Matic------------------

-----Ramires-------Fabregas-----

-Willian--------------------Hazard-

---------------Costa-----------------

Subs: Cech, Ivan, Ake, Mikel, Oscar, Schurrle, Remy.

Is what i'd play. Jose won't though, his will be the exact same team as always (is that a bad thing though? Who knows).

Ramires and Costa will get stuck into their players like they will get stuck into ours. Willian and Ramires' endless stamina will help big time too.

Will be one of the hardest 5 games of the season for us, easily. If we get 3 points we should be chuffed to bits with the boys.

Come on you blues!

Ivanovic is a nailed on starter, this is a physical team we will need his aerial ability for set pieces as well.

[Chelsea Legend 11 4,062]

This will be a tough game. No doubt about it and honestly I wouldn't be disappointed with a draw. Yes 3 points should be the aim but a point wouldn't be bad either.

That is without a doubt the minimum... Stoke get up for big teams but we can't be drawing there and calling ourselves champions elect.

[Chelsea Legend 11 4,062]

I can't believe I'm saying this but I actually think this is a game Schurrle should play in... He hasn't been the best teammate but I think this might be a game for selfishness. He scored two against them last time too

[Stats 7,144]

This will be a tough game. No doubt about it and honestly I wouldn't be disappointed with a draw. Yes 3 points should be the aim but a point wouldn't be bad either.

From being 8 points ahead a few weeks ago to being 1 point potentially on Monday, I would not be happy with a point. It is a hard game but one I expect us to win and will be annoyed with anything less. Especially when you consider that there next three fixtures are Palace (H), WBA (A) and Burnley (H).

[iseah100 5,612]

Very quiet here.

Unusuallu quiet. Calm before the storm?

[LAM09 7,056]

This game could be massive if City beat Palace. Hoping our fellow Londoners do us a favour!

[Madmax 9,219]

City's fixtures during Aguero's absence are a cakewalk so that's no factor at all :/