Any day at this point, Jose Mourinho could be on his way out the door at Chelsea. The Blues are actually only four points clear of the relegation zone almost a third of the way into the season, and they're taking on a Stoke City team on Saturday which has been disappointing, yet is still ahead of them on the EPL table.
ODDS ANALYSIS
How do you not keep making Chelsea a favorite at this point? No one is doubting the talent of this team, but the execution here has just been woeful. To the Blues' credit, they weren't as dominated by Liverpool as a 3-1 score line suggests, and Mourinho is correct in his analysis that his team has gotten some bad breaks along the way. In the end though, Chelsea has to be better than this, especially as a defending champion of the EPL.
Chelsea is favored, but it is barely an odds on choice at -105.
The total chimes in at 2.5 with -125 vig on the under.
KEY INJURIES
We talk about injuries every week when we discuss Chelsea, but the overwhelming factor about them is the fact that they aren't happening. The Blues are only missing their net minder, Thibaut Courtois right now, and they haven't fallen victim to any other devastating injuries.
Stoke City is still without American Geoff Cameron at the back as well as Marc Muniesa. Marco van Ginkel is ineligible for this match due to the fact that he is on loan from Chelsea.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"Goal keepers are there to win you points, and that's what Jack Butland does… You need a top-class goal keeper to get you points, and Stoke have got one, and certainly England have." – Stoke City manager Mark Hughes on his young goalie, Jack Butland
RECENT FORM
Does Chelsea's form really need to be discussed right now? The team was beaten by Liverpool 3-1 last weekend to really ratchet up the pressure on Mourinho, and that came on the heels of losing to this Stoke City in penalties in the Capital One Cup. In fact, across all competitions, Chelsea hasn't won in four straight, and it has just one win since beating Walsall in the Capital One Cup on September 23.
Stoke hasn't done much in the way of scoring of late, and that's why it is still hovering closer to the danger zone than anything else. The Potters held Newcastle to a scoreless draw at St. James' Park on Halloween, marking two straight games in the EPL without a goal. In fact, Stoke hasn't scored more than once since beating lowly Bournemouth 2-1 on September 26.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
We suspect we're going to see a low-scoring match here at the Britannia on Saturday afternoon. Stoke knows that it is going to have to park the bus in front of its young goalie and hope to hold off for a point, while the Blues are going to push forward and give it their all.
The only item of business which would change our mind is if Mourinho is sacked before this match. There's still a legitimate possibility that happens, especially if things don't go well against Dynamo Kiev in the Champions League midweek. Even if that match is won for the Blues and Mourinho survives, they'll still have to turn around in less than 72 hours and get ready for this match against Stoke.
The story basically writes itself right now in this fixture. This one reeks of a scoreless and lifeless draw. Maybe if Mou is no longer around, the Blues can catch some fire for their new boss and go on a rampage, but we just don't see it happening with the Portuguese man in charge.
Stoke City 0, Chelsea 0
BookMaker has English Premier League lines for every match of the season. Chelsea is lined as a -105 moneyline favorite, while the total is set at 2.5. You can make a futures bet and predict the champion, wager on head-to-head matchups or use BookMaker’s live betting feature to gamble while the match is happening.
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