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Chelsea welcome Stoke City to Stamford Bridge this Sunday, with Jose Mourinho looking for FA Cup success for just the second time in his career.
His side secured safe passage into the current phase of the competition, after securing a 2-0 victory over Derby in the third round. John Obi Mikel and Oscar scored in this fixture, setting up an all-Premier League tie between the Blues and the Potters.
The last time these two sides met, Stoke emerged victorious, but Chelsea have played 10 matches since, recording eight wins in the process. A 3-1 win overManchester United at the weekend will have given the London outfit a huge confidence boost and I’m sure this will carry into this match.
We can assume Mourinho will make plenty of changes because he will see this as an opportunity to rest one or two of his bigger names for the Premier League title race. Here I run you through Chelsea’s potential starting line-up.
Goalkeeper: Mark Schwarzer
Schwarzer had a quiet game against Derby but he could be entrusted by Mourinho to stay between the sticks against Stoke. The Aussie has made five competitive appearances since joining Chelsea in the summer and he has conceded just twice during this time, keeping four clean sheets. He featured regularly in the club’s Capital One Cup run – the competition in which he made his debut.
Right-Back: Branislav Ivanovic
Ivanovic has been ever-present for Chelsea this season, playing 20 times in the league and in all six European group fixtures. His domestic form has seen him win 58% of his attempted tackles and 70% of his headed duels. He is yet to feature in the FA Cup.
Ivanovic stats
Centre-Back: Gary Cahill
Chelsea were poor in defence as they suffered a 3-2 defeat to Stoke in their last meeting – Cahill, alongside John Terry, were involved in a huge struggle to prevent the Potters from scoring. The Englishman will need to be wary of the aerial threat posed by Peter Crouch as well as the possibility of Oussama Assaidi cutting inside from the wing. The club were undone on two occasions from moves coming from the right in their previous meeting. The defence will be need to be wiser to Stoke’s tactics on the weekend.
Centre-Back: David Luiz
David Luiz featured in defensive midfield against Manchester United on the weekend and he proved, yet again, that he is prone to making rash decisions. He played in the centre back role versus Derby and I would expect him to be deployed in the same position against Stoke. John Terry is likely to be rested with a huge fixture against Manchester City on the horizon. Luiz will need to improve his tackle success rate in this match, he has completed just 29% of his attempted tackles to date.
Luiz’s poor tackles in the PL 2013/14
Left-Back: Cesar Azpilicueta
Mourinho has opted to rotate Ashley Cole and Cesar Azpilicueta throughout the season, but having played against United on the weekend, it is likely the former will be given an opportunity to rest. Azpilicueta was forced to be patient in his pursuit of recognition at the club, but he has been given his opportunity to shine over recent weeks. He has made 14 Premier League appearances so far and he played a full 90 minutes against Derby in the last round.
Defensive-Midfield: John Obi Mikel
Mikel opened the scoring in Chelsea’s against Derby, as he celebrated his 300thappearance for the club with a second half header. He has only netted four times for the Blues during this time, three of which have come in this competition. Due to an abundance of midfield options at Stamford Bridge, Mikel’s playing time will likely be restricted to cup competitions.
Defensive-Midfield: Nemanja Matic
Matic has already appeared once for Chelsea since re-signing from Benfica for £21 million last Wednesday. The 25-year-old played a cameo role, coming on as a substitute in the final stages of the club’s weekend victory. Fans will be eager to get a good look at Matic in action and the upcoming fixture against the Potters could provide the perfect opportunity for the Serbian to make an early impression.
Attacking-Midfield: Frank Lampard
After suffering a muscle injury in December, Lampard has finally returned to full fitness and he could make his comeback in the attacking-midfield position against Stoke. He is yet to feature in the FA Cup this season as a result of injury, but he has played 18 times in the league, scoring four goals with a shot conversion rate of 12.5%. Despite his age Lampard is still a fantastic asset to Chelsea and he is highly valued by Mourinho.
Lampard’s shots in the PL 2013/14
Attacking-Midfield: Oscar
Oscar has been key for Chelsea in all competitions this season. He has featured in all-but two of the club’s Premier League fixtures, scoring six goals and creating 24 chances – Mourinho has trusted the young Brazilian throughout the course of the season and the team have benefitted as a result. He netted against Derby in the previous round and I would put my money on him doing the same against Stoke.
Oscar’s 24 chances created in table form
Attacking-Midfield: Andre Schurrle
Andre Schurrle scored twice against Stoke during the club’s last meeting and he will be given the opportunity to threaten once again after missing the weekend’s action against United. He hasn’t featured as much as he would have liked since moving to Stamford Bridge in the summer, but the departure of Juan Mata could see this change for the better.
Striker: Demba Ba
Opportunities for Demba Ba have been few and far between this season and he has featured just eight times in the Premier League, scoring on one occasion. He was vital for Chelsea in their FA Cup run last season. He netted four times on the club’s path to the semi-finals, including a stunning close range volley during the quarter-final replay against United. Samuel Eto’o will likely be rested after his heroics on the weekend, whilst Fernando Torres is unavailable through injury. Expect Demba Ba to start.
Ba’s only goal in the Premier League in 2013/14
