Stoke City head into their clash with Premier League leaders Chelsea having kept a clean sheet away at Manchester City, and Mark Hughes will have confidence in his side ahead of the match in the Potteries.
Chelsea are 10 points clear at the top of the table after losing just once since the middle of September, and Antonio Conte will relish the opportunity to try to become the first man to leave the bet365 Stadium with three points in a league fixture since November 19.
Stoke City
© SilverHub
After Stoke's dismal start to the season, Hughes has worked wonders to move the club into a place in the top half of the table, but he will now want his team to continue their progress and achieve eighth place by the end of May.
The signs are good, too, after the Potters responded from their 4-0 thrashing by Tottenham Hotspur by picking up four points from games against Middlesbrough and Man City.
Their visit to the Etihad Stadium was expected to end in a convincing defeat but Stoke - who were superbly led by Ryan Shawcross and Bruno Martins Indi - found a way to become one of the few teams to shut out City in front of their own supporters.
Stoke have had over a week to reflect on that performance and the extra few days' rest can only benefit them as they welcome the Chelsea juggernaut to Staffordshire at the weekend as they look to extend their unbeaten run to three matches.
Hughes will accept that they are the underdogs, but there will be an inner belief within his squad that they can cause the upset and the performance of Marko Arnautovic is likely to be key, despite the Austrian not enjoying his greatest season in terms of goals.
Saido Berahino also delivered an encouraging performance on his first start for the club against City, and it would be a huge boost to the January signing if Hughes gave him a second chance to net his first goal as a Stoke player.
Recent form: DLWLWD
Chelsea
© SilverHub
Conte has used the cup competitions this season to rotate his squad, but his first-choice team head into this fixture having already got 90 minutes in their legs earlier this week.
In the FA Cup quarter-finals, the Blues got the better of a Manchester United side who played almost two thirds of the fixture with 10 men, and it was a result which extended an unbeaten run that started on the first weekend of 2017.
The biggest plus point from Monday's contest was the club recording their first clean sheet against top-flight opposition since January 22 and although Chelsea had not conceded more than a goal in any of their fixtures during that period, it will reassure Conte that he does not have to tinker with a back three which has been excellent since Conte changed his formation.
Further forward, Chelsea are having few problems hitting the back of the net with 26 being netted in 11 outings, but the Blues frontline are squandering more chances than they were before the turn of the year.
As many as 10 points separate Spurs and Man City but Conte will be aware that his side cannot afford to rest on their laurels with 24 points still being required from 11 matches to mathematically ensure that they claim their fifth Premier League title.
Diego Costa will be keen to get on the scoresheet after falling into a share of third place in the race for the Premier League's golden boot.
Recent form: WDWDWW
Recent form (all competitions): WDWWWW
Team News
© SilverHub
Conte is expected to hand a recall to Pedro, who was an unused substitute against United despite scoring in three of his last four outings.
The only other selection dilemma is again likely to revolve around who starts out of Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas in the centre of midfield.
Hughes has hinted that he will make changes to his starting lineup, despite their recent results, as he looks to cope with Chelsea's 3-4-3 formation.
The Welshman has revealed that Xherdan Shaqiri is fit again after almost two months on the sidelines, but Glen Johnson is unavailable to face one of his former clubs.
Goalkeeper Jack Butland is currently progressing towards a return to the first-team squad, but will not be involved on Saturday afternoon.
Stoke City possible starting lineup:
Grant, Bardsley, Martins Indi, Shawcross, Pieters, Cameron, Allen, Arnautovic, Sobhi, Walters, Berahino
Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Courtois, Azpilicueta, Luiz, Cahill, Moses, Kante, Matic, Alonso, Pedro, Hazard, Costa
Head To Head
Saturday's fixture represents the 99th time these two sides have met in a competitive fixture, with Stoke claiming 30 victories in comparison to 47 wins for Chelsea.
However, Stoke have had the better of the last four fixtures, losing just once, although Chelsea did claim a 4-2 triumph at Stamford Bridge on New Year's Eve.
Since Stoke gained promotion to the Premier League in 2008, though, they have claimed just two victories in 20 attempts, as well as a penalty-shootout success in the League Cup in October 2015.
We say: Stoke City 1-2 Chelsea
Stoke have already shown this year that they can match the best sides at home, with Hughes being unfortunate not to register a win over Manchester United in January. However, Chelsea pose a much tougher obstacle and we are backing the Blues to fight to a narrow success on Saturday afternoon.
Darren Plant
