Venue: Britannia Stadium
Date: Sunday 14 August
Kick-off: 1330 BST
Here we go then, the season’s finally here for us and today sees us kick it off away to Stoke City. We had a blistering start to last season although probably shouldn’t be expecting a 6-0 win this afternoon.
We have another new manager in Andre Villas-Boas and whilst he managed a pre-season without defeat, this is the Premier League. Still, at least he’s got our unbeaten run of 9 years on the first day to hold on to, so let’s hope he keeps it that way.
MANAGERS’ VIEWS
Ahead of today’s opener, Stoke manager Tony Pulis says “I think we have to be a little bit careful. The expectation levels go through the roof. We’ve had a fantastic run of success. It’s been an upward curve now for nearly five years, and that’s very unusual at any football club that you keep bettering what you’ve done year after year. I think the great thing about the football club is the supporters have enjoyed it so much but they remember what it’s like in the Championship. They understand that our priority is to stay in the Premier League – that will always be the case. Yes, we’re looking to push on but there are some fantastic clubs and fantastic teams that we have to compete against. Managing expectations at football clubs now is almost as difficult as managing the players on the pitch but you learn and you have to get on with it.”
Whilst with a new season at a new club ahead of him, Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas says “I doubt I am the high-profile manager of the Premier League. There are extremely successful managers in this league. I respect them a lot and hopefully I can bring myself up to these standards. We guide ourselves with the highest standards possible, looking for excellence and looking to win back a title that escaped us last season. I think we will do everything in our power to win it back. We have gone past a good pre-season and everybody is feeling already excited to come back to competitive games and hopefully this first challenge. It is an important challenge for us. It is Stoke away. It is one of the magnificent teams of the Premier League, a team that last year, although finishing in the bottom half of the table, managed to get wins at home. They have a good empathy with the public and it is a very emotional stadium, so it’s good to have this sort of high challenge on the first day of the league.”
SQUAD NEWS
For Stoke, Ricardo Fuller (achilles), Mamady Sidibe (achilles) and Danny Higginbotham (knee) are absentees whilst Rory Delap (hamstring) and Matthew Etherington (rib) are hopeful of being fit. Matthew Upson is not yet ready to make his debut but fellow new signing Jonathan Woodgate should feature.
For Chelsea, David Luiz (foot) will not make the start of the season although Fernando Torres should be ok after his recent concussion. Daniel Sturridge is suspended.
TEAMS
STOKE: Begovic, Wilkinson, Huth, Shawcross, Wilson, Pennant, Whelan, Delap, Etherington, Walters, Jones
CHELSEA: Cech, Ferreira, Terry, Alex, Cole, Ramires, Mikel, Lampard, Kalou, Drogba, Anelka
LAST MEETING
Stoke 1-1 Chelsea (2 April 2011)
REFEREE
Mark Halsey
PREDICTION
We haven’t lost at Stoke on the last 7 visits and havent lost on the opening day of the season for 13 years, although the Potters did hold us to a draw in April. And whilst Stoke lost on the opening day last season, it’s fair to say they’re no pushover at the Britannia. AVB and Pulis will be equally as keen to get the campaign off to a winning start, so it’ll be all about the players level of motivation and fitness today.
Blue is the colour
