3 Key Battles (Chelsea vs Stoke): Can Stoke Contain Hazard?

Chelsea vs Stoke: 3 Key Battles 

Saturday’s late kick-off sees Chelsea take on Stoke, hoping to put their patchy home form to rest. The Blues have drawn their last two home games in the Premier League and haven’t won at home since early February. Having already beaten Manchester City and Tottenham on the road, Stoke travel to Stamford Bridge on the lookout for another high-profile scalp.

Although Jose Mourinho’s side haven’t lost in the league, since the New Year’s Day loss to Spurs at White Hart Lane, their form has certainly dipped. Three draws in their last seven games and the improved form of Arsenal and Manchester United has ensured that the title race is no longer a procession, even if the Blues hold a six-point advantage over second-placed City with a game in hand.

Back-to-back losses to West Brom and Crystal Palace put an end to the Potters’ three-game winning run and Mark Hughes’ side will be looking for a good result on Saturday to kick off another positive run. Here are the three key battles that will decide the outcome of a crucial game in the title race.

1. Jonathan Walters vs Diego Costa

If you asked anyone who has better striker, Stoke or Chelsea, the answer would be unanimously Chelsea. But in terms of numbers alone, that isn’t true. A look at the strikers with the best shot conversion rate in the Premier League this season will tell you that Stoke’s Jonathan Walters is the forward most likely to score from an opportunity presented to him. Although the Irishman has played out wide for most of the season, he is better than Diego Costa, who is third in terms of the league’s best strikers.

Diego Costa’s form since the turn of the year hasn’t been particularly impressive. Even though, he leads the league in terms of goals scored, with more than double the goals Walters has managed, he is only just returning from injury. With Costa unlikely to be at the peak of his powers, the visitors will be looking to their 31-year-old striker to make the most of the opportunities afforded to him. If the Irishman can manage that, a Stoke win isn’t beyond the realms of possibility.

2. Can Stoke contain Hazard?

Hazard

At the start of the season, all the talk was about the Fabregas and Costa combination, and how Chelsea had effectively managed to find a midfielder-striker relationship that is second to none. There was little of the little Belgian attacker, who was Chelsea’s best player last season. But slowly in the background, Eden Hazard was doing his bit for the team. And once the assists from Fabregas and the goals from Costa started to dry up, the Belgian found the perfect opportunity to put his best foot forward.

The 24-year-old has scored three goals in his last four club games and is arguably the side’s most potent attacker at the moment. Only four teams have conceded fewer away goals than Stoke this season and if they want to continue their record on Saturday, they will need to keep Hazard quiet. That is easier said than done, as Stoke found out in the reverse fixture earlier in the campaign. But if they can stop the diminutive Belgian from his usual bag of tricks, then they can add the Blues to their list of victims, away from home.

3. Steven N’Zonzi vs Nemanja Matic

Saturday’s midfield battle will be decided by the battle of the two midfield giants. N’Zonzi and Matic might not get the goals from midfield that every manager craves, but they provide a valuable service that often goes unnoticed in football. The job of a defensive midfielder is not only to break up attacks, but also to start them by making the most of the ball.

Earlier in the season, Matic was hailed  as the next best thing since sliced bread, but his last few performances for his club haven’t been all that impressive. Teams have found a way around the Serbian and against Stoke, he will come up against a midfielder, who is every bit as physical and aggressive as he is. If the Stoke midfielder can get the better of Matic, then the midfield battle, which is so crucial, will be won by the visitors, who will then have a real chance of getting something out of the game.