Chelsea have made an embarrassingly poor start to the new Premier League season, and find themselves only three places above the drop zone after a quarter of the campaign. Pressure continues to mount on manager José Mourinho, and his position could well become untenable if his side fail to beat fellow strugglers Stoke City away at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday.
Chelsea vs. Stoke 2015 live stream: Time, TV schedule and how to watch EPL online
Two of the Premier League’s chief underperformers meet at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday.
Nigel Roddis/Getty Images
The good news for the Blues is that Stoke haven't impressed this season either. Mark Hughes' side made a summer splash with the capture of former Bayern Munich man Xherdan Shaqiri, though they've been frustratingly stop-start. In the pursuit of more attractive football, they appear to be running the risk of losing the brutal effectiveness that has characterized their long stay in the top flight, and a goalless draw against Newcastle United last weekend left them down in 14th place.
Key factor: José Mourinho’s stadium ban
Chelsea boss Mourinho has been banned from entering the Britannia Stadium on Saturday, having lost an appeal against an FA misconduct charge handed down for comments he made about the referee in the aftermath of the Blues' defeat to Southampton earlier in the season. Given recent suggestion that Mourinho has alienated several players inside the Chelsea dressing room, it'll be fascinating to see how his absence affects their performance.
When they last met: Stoke City 1-1 (5-4) Chelsea, 27 Oct. 2015
These sides only met a couple of weeks ago, with Stoke emerging victorious from a Capital One Cup penalty shootout. Jonathan Walters gave the hosts the lead early in the game's second half, only for Loïc Rémy to net a Chelsea equaliser in stoppage time at the end of the match. However, it was all in vain for Chelsea, who lost the match courtesy of Eden Hazard's miss from the spot in an otherwise flawless penalty shootout.
Stoke City injuries and suspensions
Out: Geoff Cameron (thigh); Shay Given (knee); Marc Muniesa (hamstring); Marco van Ginkel (ineligible). In doubt: None.
Chelsea injuries and suspensions
Out: Radamel Falcao (unspecified muscle); Thibaut Courtois (knee). In doubt: Branislav Ivanović (hamstring).
Stoke will be without goalkeeper Given and defenders Cameron and Muniesa, while midfielder van Ginkel is unable to play against his parent club.
Chelsea have no new injury problems, though goalkeeper Courtois and striker Falcao are still unavailable. Full-back Ivanović faces a late fitness test on a hamstring problem.
Match date/time: Sat., Nov. 7, 12:30 p.m. ET, 5:30 p.m. local
Venue: Britannia Stadium, Stoke, England
TV: NBC (US - English); NBC Universo (US - Spanish); RDS 2 TSN4 (Canada); Sky Sports 1/HD (UK)
Online: NBC Sports Live Extra (US); Sky Go (UK)
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