Good evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for this Monday night fixture between Stoke City and league leaders Chelsea at the Britannia Stadium. Both sides will be looking to go into Christmas on the back of a win tonight and, while 14 places currently separate them in the league table, this is by no means a foregone conclusion. Let's start with a look at the hosts...

Stoke have endured a tricky few weeks of late, but there are signs that they are beginning to turn a corner following a poor spell of results. The Potters were beaten three times in a row recently, losing to Liverpool, Manchester United and, most disappointingly of all, Burnley, but things have improved and they come into tonight's game having not been beaten in their last two.

The first of those was arguably the highlight of the whole season for Stoke so far, although their away victory over Manchester City would certainly push it close. The Potters put in a fine performance against Arsenal in their last home game at the Britannia, taking a three-goal lead into half time. The Gunners fought back after the break and scored two goals in quick succession, but Stoke held out for an impressive 3-2 victory.

Their last match wasn't quite as thrilling, but Mark Hughes will have been pleased with the character his side showed in responded to going behind early on. Peter Crouch netted an equaliser just two minutes after James McArthur had given Crystal Palace the lead at Selhurst Park, and a point there is by no means a bad result for Stoke.

As a result, they now find themselves 15th in the Premier League table, with the possibility of climbing into the top half should they win today. Things are quite tight down there, however, and they are only four points clear of the bottom three as well. Most of the bottom half seems to be embroiled in the relegation battle at the moment, so an unexpected victory like one tonight would be a huge boost for a club in Stoke's position.

There are certainly signs that they may be able to cause Chelsea a few problems tonight, not least in their good defensive record so far this season. Conceding 21 goals in 16 matches is by no means a watertight defence, but in a season that has seen plenty of goals fly in already, it isn't bad either. Indeed, only one side outside of the top five has conceded fewer than the Potters this season. They have, however, conceded in their last 10 Premier League games, which is the longest run of its kind in the top flight this season.

The Britannia has traditionally been a stronghold for Stoke during their time in the Premier League, with even the biggest teams not looking forward to the trip. However, they haven't been quite as impressive in front of their own fans so far this term, winning three, drawing one and losing three of their home Premier League games this season. It has been a bit of a mixed bag, with a victory over Arsenal almost cancelled out by defeat to Burnley. However, they have only lost one of their last five here, so there are signs of improvement.

It has been a very tough schedule for Stoke recently, with seven of their last nine matches coming against teams in the top half of the table, including games against Champions League hopefuls Tottenham, Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal. They do know how to beat the big boys, though, and Chelsea will be particularly wary of that having lost here in the corresponding fixture last season. Over the last two years, Stoke have also beaten Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal twice, so Chelsea won't be expecting an easy ride tonight.

They still come into the match as heavy favourites, however, having lost just once in their 25 matches in all competitions so far this season. That defeat came at the hands of Newcastle in their most recent Premier League away game, but Jose Mourinho's side have responded well to that setback, winning three on the bounce in three separate competitions to make a swift return to winning ways.

That defeat did allow Manchester City to gain ground on them in the title race, however, and Manuel Pellegrini's side actually drew level on points with Chelsea with their 3-0 victory over Crystal Palace on Saturday. One more goal would have put City top, but there is no doubt that being level on points will put a bit more pressure on Chelsea to get the result this evening. They were considered champions elect not so long ago, but defeat by more than one goal tonight would see them drop a place. A 1-0 defeat, incidentally, would put them level with City in every single category, while draw or victory would ensure that they spend Christmas at number one.

They have certainly been the most impressive team in the first half of the season, and there is little arguing that they deserve to sit top of the pile right now. No team has scored more goals than Jose Mourinho's side, who have netted 36 times in their 16 outings so far. Things are just as good at the other end, with no team conceding fewer than Chelsea's 13. Mourinho has a very well balanced side, and while City are now level on points, the West Londoners are still heavy favourites to lift the trophy come May.

In all, Chelsea have scored 60 goals in their 25 matches this season, conceding just 19 along the way. It is defensively where they have shone most recently, keeping four clean sheets in their last five Premier League games, with the only exception being the defeat to Newcastle. The likes of Costa and Fabregas have combined brilliantly for the goals, but Mourinho's sides are usually built on a sturdy defence, and Chelsea certainly have one of those this season.

In all, they have won 19 of their 25 matches this season, drawing five and losing just the once. However, the slight concern for Mourinho will be that five of the six games his side have failed to win have come on their travels. They have been imperious at Stamford Bridge, but haven't always been able to replicate that on the road so far. There have been highlights, most notably the win over Liverpool at Anfield and the 5-0 drubbing of Schalke, but they have won just one of their last four Premier League away games and have dropped 11 points on the road in all competitions.

That will only be a very minor gripe for a side who are still in with a shout of winning four trophies this season. That quest continued last Tuesday as Jose Mourinho's side took on Derby County in a tricky League Cup quarter-final at the iPro Stadium. However, despite the Rams impressing in the Championship this season, Chelsea looked comfortable most of the way. Derby did get a little encouragement when they pulled a goal back to make it 2-1, but a red card for the hosts allowed Chelsea to seal a deserved 3-1 victory in the end.

They have been handed a tricky tie in the Champions League last 16, with Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain coming to town, but they will be confident of getting past that test having dispatched the same opponents last season. There is little doubt that Chelsea are a better team now than they were in the 2013-14 campaign, so while it is a huge ask, Mourinho will have his sights set on a four-trophy haul.

TEAM NEWS: The teams are in, and the biggest news for Chelsea is that Courtois and Diego Costa both return to the starting lineup. There are five changes in all for the visitors, with Willian, Cahill and Ivanovic also returning to the fold. Stoke, meanwhile, name Bojan in their starting lineup despite concerns over a hip injury, while Muniesa returns in defence. Full teams for both sides coming up...

STOKE STARTING XI: Begovic; Bardsley, Shawcross, Muniesa, Pieters; Cameron, Nzonzi; Walters, Bojan, Arnautovic; Crouch

STOKE SUBS: Butland, Huth, Whelan, Wilson, Adam, Diouf, Assaidi

CHELSEA STARTING XI: Courtois; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta; Mikel, Matic; Willian, Fabregas, Hazard; Costa

CHELSEA SUBS: Cech, Filipe Luis, Zouma, Ake, Oscar, Schurrle, Drogba

What can we make of those two sides, then? Well, Stoke's only change at the back sees Marc Muniesa come in to replace Wilson, who drops to the bench. The likes of Bardsley and Shawcross are sure to make it a physical game this evening, but they are coming up against a Chelsea side who relish that challenge, so it will be a very interesting battle up there tonight.

Perhaps Stoke's key player this evening will be N'Zonzi, who is in charge of protecting his defence from the likes of Willian, Fabregas and Hazard. A little further forward, Bojan has been in sparkling form for the Potters recently, and Hughes will be delighted that he is fit to start having limped off against Crystal Palace with a hip injury. Arnautovic can also be a big danger to opposition teams, although his end product is very unpredictable.

Crouch got his side's only goal against Crystal Palace, and he once again leads the line today. Walters will be looking to get up in support of his striker, but he will not have fond memories of facing Chelsea. He had one of the worst individual days in Premier League history in this fixture last January, scoring two own goals and missing a penalty on his 100th top-flight appearance as Chelsea cruised to a 4-0 victory.

They will be looking to find a way past a returning Courtois, who is in the starting lineup again having recovered from a muscular injury that has kept him out for the last few weeks. Cech is certainly not a bad replacement, but Mourinho will still be glad to have his number one keeper back behind what has become a very settled defence. Stoke are likely to hoist a number of high balls into the box this evening, and Courtois presence inside the area could be of huge benefit.

Chelsea make two changes to their back four from the side that beat Derby last Tuesday, with Cahill and Ivanovic both returning to the side. That sees Zouma, who picked up a head injury in the win at the iPro, drop back to the bench alongside Luis, whose absence means that Azpilicueta will switch back to the left flank. As ever, John Terry leads what is probably the most formidable defence in English football right now.

A notable absentee this evening is Oscar, who has generally been in Mourinho's starting XI so far this season. He is left on the bench, which means that Mikel once again plays alongside Matic and Fabregas pushes further forward, as was the case against Derby. Schurrle drops out of that side to make way for Willian, who netting in Chelsea's 3-0 victory over Stoke the last time these two met.

It is Hazard and Costa who are likely to pose the biggest goal threat this evening, however, with both in sparkling form this season. Hazard in particular has shone recently, making more successful passes in the attacking third this season than any other player in the Premier League. He has not scored an away goal since January 11, however, with his last 11 Premier League strikes coming at Stamford Bridge. Costa, meanwhile, is likely to relish the physical challenge that will come his way tonight and, if any is able to dominate the likes of Shawcross, you'd guess that it would be the Chelsea striker.

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PREDICTION: We're 10 minutes from kickoff at the Britannia, which means that it is time for my prediction! This really is an intriguing contest, with Stoke certainly not expected to roll over for Chelsea this evening. However, this Chelsea can stand up to the physicality of Stoke in a way that perhaps Arsenal could not, while they also have the added touch of class to make a difference. It won;t be an easy match for the visitors, but I can see them edging it 2-1.

There could well be differing opinions on how this match will pan out. Find out what the festive Sports Mole sofa had to say about the game in our video preview below:

Stoke will be hoping for a repeat of their display in this fixture last season, when Oussama Assaidi scored a last-minute winner to rescue a thrilling 3-2 victory for his side. However, that was their first win over Chelsea in 12 Premier League meetings, and the first game they had even scored in in the last six editions of the fixture. Recent history is very much on Chelsea's side.

However, Chelsea have only won one of their last four trips to the Britannia, when Walters had that horrendous day in January 2013. Interestingly, both teams have a fairly good record in Monday night matches, with Stoke remaining unbeaten in their last six and Chelsea only losing one of their last 19.

KICKOFF: Chelsea get us underway at the Britannia Stadium as they looked to maintain their place at the top of the league at Christmas.

What a start for the visitors! They win an early corner, and it is the skipper who leads by example to attack the subsequent delivery, planting his header beyond the keeper and into the back of the net. Chelsea could not have wished for a better opening to this tricky fixture!

Stoke look to recover from that early setback, taking hold of the ball and playing it about at the back for a while. They need to ensure that they don't concede again soon otherwise this game could be beyond them in the first 10 minutes.

Costa is getting booed by the home fans every time he touches the ball, but you can be sure that that will spur him on. It is going to be a fascinating battle between him and the Stoke defence tonight.

SHOT! Costa looks to get a second here, but he is rushed into the shot and drags it wide. It was good approach play from the striker, Hazard and Ivanovic, but his eventual effort is poor.

Chelsea are moving the ball about nicely at the moment, with that goal doing them the world of good. This could have been a really tough fixture for them, with Stoke sure to be fired up for it, but that goal has diffused things inside the Britannia.

Clever play from Hazard as he collects an early free kick, with Stoke's players slow to react. The Belgian whips a low ball around towards the near post, but Costa is just short of connecting with it.

Slightly dangerous play from Fabregas as he hook a pass square across the pitch inside his own half, with Mikel forced to deal with it. It is an awkward height for the midfielder, but he does well to get enough on his header and play it back to Courtois.

Costa is down here holding his back following a collision with two Stoke players. The striker was sandwiched between both, but it was Shawcross who did the damage with a robust aerial challenge.

Decent pressure from Stoke as they come forward down the right. Fabregas initially makes a good sliding challenge to halt Bardsley, while the resulting long throw is cleared behind for a corner which Courtois deals with well.

I said it would be a good battle between Costa and Shawcross, and it certainly looks as though they are getting stuck into each other. The Chelsea man plays the ball off Shawcross for a corner, prompting an exchanging of words between the pair. I doubt it was compliments being traded!

YELLOW CARD! The first card of the match goes to Bardsley, who flies in on Hazard down the left. It is a poor challenge from the Stoke man, and he can have no complaints at being cautioned. It could have even been more.

SAVE! Good play from Stoke in the middle of the park as Cameron shifts past Fabregas before squaring the ball to N'Zonzi. The midfielder advances downfield before drilling a low strike towards goal. It takes a deflection off Terry, forcing Courtois to quickly change direction and make the save.

A decent sight of goal for the hosts again as Bojan picks the ball up and travels infield from the right. He slides the ball through to Walters, but his effort is blocked by Cahill.

Oh my word, from the resulting corner Chelsea break quickly and they have players queuing up to go clean through on goal. However, just as they are about to be released, Neil Swarbrick gets in the way and blocks the through-ball! The referee has just denied Chelsea a great chance to double their advantage.

This one is really developing into a slugfest. There is so much grappling going on at set pieces that it is hard to know where Neil Swarbrick should start when it comes to sorting it out. Neither side is giving an inch in the physical battle.

Good play from Hazard down the left as he cuts back before picking his pass out to the edge of the box. Ivanovic has hung back there, but his effort is poor as he slices it well wide.

The crowd are certainly up for this one now after overcoming the initial shock of conceding so early. Stoke have really made things tough for Chelsea, and the physicality of the game is preventing the visitors from getting into a real rhythm right now.

Clever play from the visitors as they just knock the ball about at the back for a while, taking a bit of the sting out of the game. Stoke aren't willing to come and win it off the defenders in case they leave space behind, so that has allowed Chelsea to gain a measure of control over proceedings again.

CHANCE! Huge chance for Chelsea to double their lead! It starts with Matic making a brilliant challenge in his own half to win the ball back, and Fabregas uses it well to thread a good through-ball forward for Costa. The Spaniard beats the offside trap and only has the keeper to beat, but he rolls his effort wide of the far post. He should have scored there!

You really would have expected Costa to bury that chance, but questions must be raised about the defending from Shawcross. He could see the pass that was coming and was initially with Costa, but decided to leave the striker and play him offside instead of tracking the run. He got away with it, but Costa isn't likely to miss another opening like that.

A concern for Stoke here as Bardsley goes down following a clash with Hazard, before the Belgian sportingly puts the ball out of play with Chelsea on the attack. The Sunderland man goes off for treatment and isn't moving freely at all right now, but he should be able to continue.

Courtois's distribution has been a little shaky on a couple of occasions tonight. His latest poor kick falls to Arnautovic inside the Chelsea half, forcing Mikel to cynically foul the winger to stop the attack.

Unorthodox defending from Pieters to deny Costa, but it works. The full-back covers on a lofted ball over the top that Costa is very interested in, but he pulls out of the aerial challenge a bit. The ball hits him on the back, however, which prevents Costa from latching on to it.

Costa wants a free kick following a little tussle with Bardsley, and the replays show that he has a point. The defender was the last man and had a chunk of Costa's shirt, so if the referee had seen that then he could have been tempted into giving Bardsley a second yellow.

So far it is John Terry's early goal that separates these two sides, with the skipper breaking the deadlock within two minutes. He he is celebrating the opener:

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There will be a minimum of three minutes added time at the end of this first half.

Peter Crouch gets a talking to from the referee having dragged Courtois down when he knew he wasn't getting to a high ball inside the box. Courtois is so good in the air and has such a command of his box that none of Stoke's aerial deliveries have come to anything yet.

That's all for the opening 45 minutes at the Britannia, and it has certainly been a full-blooded, physical battle between Stoke and Chelsea so far. The visitors are ahead at the break and probably should be even more comfortable, but Stoke are certainly not backing down from the challenge. We are set up for a very interesting second period.

The goal came within two minutes, and it was Chelsea skipper John Terry who got it. The visitors won an early corner through Ivanovic's deflected effort, and the subsequent delivery was met by Terry, who planted his header beyond the keeper. The captain got away from Cameron, while Crouch could also have done better defensively.

Chelsea should have doubled their advantage shortly after the half-hour mark when Fabregas slid the ball through to Costa, who beat the offside trap to race clear on goal. He only had the keeper to beat, but uncharacteristically rolled his effort past the far post when he should have scored.

The closest Stoke have come to scoring was courtesy of a deflection, but Courtois reacted well to keep the hosts at bay. It was N'Zonzi who had the effort, striding forward from midfield before firing a low 25-yard strike towards goal. It struck Terry on the way through, forcing Courtois to change direction, but he got down quickly and kept it out.

There have been a number of tasty challenges throughout in what has been a fiercely contested match so far, but the worst of the lot came from Bardsley as he scythed down Hazard. It was a late and reckless challenge from the right-back, who picked up a yellow card for his troubles when it could have easily been a red. Bardsley also tugged Costa back when he was the last man later in the game, and could well have got a second yellow had the referee seen it.

There has been an ongoing battle between Costa and Shawcross too, with neither player taking a backward step in what is turning out to be a very physical contest. Shawcross in particular looks to be employing some of the dark arts in an attempt to rile the striker, but you can be sure that Costa is not one to be intimidated by such tactics.

KICKOFF: Stoke get us back underway at the Britannia as they look to battle their way back into this match. Can they do it, or will Chelsea move three points clear at the top of the Christmas table?

Decent start to the half from Stoke as they put Chelsea under some early pressure. Bardsley whips a good ball into the box, but Cahill does just enough to prevent Crouch from turning it on target.

A hint of a penalty shout as Fabregas nicks in to win the ball just before Shawcross, who connects with the Spaniard's foot when trying to clear it. Fabregas goes down in a heap, but the referee awards Stoke a free kick seemingly for offside despite it coming off a Stoke man initially.

There have been a few fine examples of defensive midfielders at their best today, and two come in quick succession here. First, N'Zonzi works back to lever Costa off the ball in a dangerous position before Matic slides in to make a superb challenge on Bojan at the other end.

SAVE! Battling play from Costa as he somehow squeezes the ball through for Willian, who suddenly has space in front of him to run in to. Fabregas is in support, but the Brazilian goes for goal himself, drilling a low shot that Begovic gets down well to save.

YELLOW CARD! Erik Pieters becomes the second player in the book tonight for a challenge on Diego Costa.

CHANCE! Chelsea win the ball back in a dangerous area and immediately launch a break down the left channel. Hazard cuts inside and out a few times when trying to earn a yard of space off Bardsley. He eventually manages to squeeze the ball through into the six-yard box for Fabregas, who tries to lift it over the keeper with the outside of his boot. It is a clever effort, but Begovic makes the save.

Costa seems to be involved in a running feud with Pieters now, having moved on from Shawcross in the first half. He really does seem to relish the physical side of things playing up front, which is good to see.

Bojan has shown a few flashes of his skill, but he hasn't got much joy off Matic and Mikel so far today. Even if he does manage to beat one, the other is quickly their to dispossess him, and they have done a very good job of protecting their defenders tonight.

Dangerous play by Hazard again, this time down the right channel as he gets to the byline before playing a dangerous low ball across the face of goal. However, there are no blue shirts there to tap it home at the back post.

Matic bursts forward from midfield and looks to glide past Muniesa, only to be upended by the the Stoke defender. The referee awards them a free kick in a dangerous area, but Willian's effort deflects off the wall and wide for a corner.

STOKE SUB: The first change of the night sees Crouch make way to be replaced by Mame Biram Diouf. Crouch hasn't had much joy against the Chelsea defence this evening.

That has been a straight swap up front for the hosts, with Diouf replacing Crouch as the main striker. He scored the only goal of the game in their win over Man City earlier this season, remember, so he can certainly pose a threat to the best defences in the league, even if he was helped by a goalkeeping error on that occasion.

Stoke are still very much in this match as we approach the final 20 minutes. As long as the gap remains just one goal they will have hope of creating a chance, be it from a set piece or open play. Chelsea, meanwhile, could do with a second to make things a little more comfortable.

STOKE SUB: Another change for the hosts as Charlie Adam replaces Geoff Cameron.

Adam looks to make an immediate impact with a curling ball in towards the back post, where Walters has crept in behind his marker. The idea is right, but the execution is just off as it is too wide and too high for Walters.

CLOSE! Stoke are close to an equaliser! Chelsea make a bit of a mess of clearing the ball, which allows the hosts to win it back in a dangerous position. It eventually falls to N'Zonzi, who plays it across for Adam to drill just wide from the edge of the box.

Stoke are seeing a bit more of the ball right now and look capable of causing Chelsea a few problems in these closing stages. They have held their own for long periods in this game without really looking too threatening, but you can be sure that they will pile the pressure on as the clock ticks down.

Arnautovic has a good chance to make something happen for the Potters, but his end product is lacking, not for the first time. He was given the ball down the left channel and looked to be trying a whipped delivery into the middle, but he got far too much on it.

Good skill from Arnautovic this time as he picks the ball up on the left and skips between two tackles to move into the box. However, his touch takes him into the path of Mikel, who mops up the danger. He and Matic have been superb tonight.

Against the run of play, Chelsea have their second! Hazard fizzes the ball in to Fabregas, who turns Shawcross inside out with a fine first touch. The Spaniard's finish is not as clean, but he still gets enough on his shot to see it bobble past the keeper and into the corner. Surely that is game over now?

CHELSEA SUB: Mourinho makes his first change of the evening as Andre Schurrle, who scored twice here last season, replaces Willian.

STOKE SUB: A third and final change for the hosts as Arnautovic makes way for Oussama Assaidi, who scored the winner in this fixture last season.

CHANCE! Another huge chance for Costa to open his account for the evening. He initially takes the ball down brilliantly to give it to Hazard. The Belgian then finds Schurrle, who cuts inside before sliding the ball to Costa. However, the striker can't get enough on his shot and is denied by Begovic.

CHELSEA SUB: That is Costa's last action of the match as he makes way to be replaced by Didier Drogba.

SAVE! Stoke almost pull a late goal back as Assaidi finds space to shoot inside the box, but Courtois is down sharply to make the save. He hasn't had much to do this evening, but that was an important contribution.

SHOT! Drogba tries an ambitious one, but you wouldn't put it past him. He collects the ball with his back to goal around 30 yards out before spinning away and unleashing an effort that flies a few yards over the top.

There will be a minimum of five minutes added time at the end of this match.

YELLOW CARD! Walters goes into the book for a foul on Hazard, which has left the winger in pain on the left wing. It looked like a painful one as Walters trod on the back of his ankle, and Hazard may not be able to continue here.

Adam attempts to spark an unlikely late comeback as he drives forward from midfield, but he is on his weaker right foot and slices his effort well off target.

CHELSEA SUB: Hazard is up and walking, which is the good news for Chelsea, but there is no need to risk aggravating the injury. He is replaced by Kurt Zouma.

CLOSE! Almost something for the home fans to cheer late on as Bojan picks the ball up 25 yards from goal before firing an effort narrowly past the post. That wasn't too far away at all.

Chelsea move three points clear of Manchester City at Christmas courtesy of a 2-0 victory over Stoke City at the Britannia tonight. John Terry got his side on the way with a goal inside two minutes, while Cesc Fabregas added the second in the 78th minute to seal the points. It was by no means a walk in the park for Jose Mourinho's side, but they battled their way to the three points.

Right, that is all we have time for tonight! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for the final piece of Premier League action before Christmas as Chelsea ensure top spot with a 2-0 victory over Stoke. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction, analysis and player ratings, which will be on site shortly. From me, though, it is goodbye for now, and also Merry Christmas!