Chelsea FC vs. Stoke City: Predicting the Blue's Starting XI

Roberto Di Matteo faces his first Premier League challenge in charge of Chelsea FC Saturday as he also makes his Stamford Bridge debut against Stoke City. Coming off the FA Cup win in midweek over Birmingham, Di Matteo will hope to continue that streak and earn the full three points to keep them competitive in the race for fourth.

His player selection against Birmingham was nearly identical to the one former manager Andre Villas-Boas placed out when the two sides faced the first time around. But with Stoke presenting considerable more amount talent, he may need to weight his options better to put the 11 out there that give him the best chance of winning.

Tuesday against Birmingham, he played a 4-2-3-1 formation and I expect the same Saturday against Stoke. Here are the players who will fill those roles.

GK: Petr Cech

Cech has had an OK season by his standards, but has really come on as of late. His performance against West Brom was the only thing that could have saved Villas-Boas’ job. He was equally good against Birmingham despite not facing too much pressure.

Half of the goalie game is how confident you are in your abilities. With Cech letting in more goals this season than ever before, his confidence is almost surely wavering, though it is no fault of his own.

Just having a new coach and starting things fresh can re-energize a keeper and hopefully will do so for Cech as he needs to be at his best over the next few days.

LB: Ryan Bertrand

Ashley Cole has been surprisingly vulnerable this season. The 30-year-old has missed quite a few games due to injury and, when he has been in, has been shakier than what we have come to expect.

Bertrand has filled in for him in these absences and been nothing short of exceptional. His performance in both games against Birmingham was one of the few highlights Chelsea fans can come away with happy.

With the pivotal Champions League showdown against Napoli on Wednesday it is better to let Cole rest a bit more as he will have his hands full against the Italian wingers.

Bertrand should be able to handle Jermaine Pennant on his own. It will be his first real test, but if he passes, then the future of the position is secure.

CB: Gary Cahill

Gary Cahill was brought to Chelsea to play alongside fellow countryman John Terry. However, injuries, suspensions and other factors have kept the two from seeing the pitch at the same time thus far.

Saturday may be the first time we see them together in blue.

Cahill’s time at the Bridge has not been a terrible one, but has been marred by a string of poor results. His defensive duties have not quite been up to par, but it also has to do with the odd-couple pairing of him and David Luiz.

With Terry back in the lineup he will seem more comfortable as the two play along very similar styles and were raised in the same philosophy of the position.

If anything, Di Matteo needs to see how the two work as he cannot afford to concede against Napoli.

CB: John Terry

Terry has missed more than a month of football now, but is reportedly ready to return for the match against Stoke. After working hard in his absence to get back on the field, Di Matteo will almost surely give him the start against the big bruising boys of Tony Pulis.

It is no secret that Stoke will try and beat you through the air. They have tall and strong center-forwards who get physical into the body and try to overpower their opponents. Terry is the perfect defender to counter this as he will be equally physical and is never a good bet against to lose an aerial duel.

Luiz is not the ideal defender to have in a game of this nature. He is often shrugged off like a fly by bigger forwards and loses his marker on set pieces far too much.

The safe bet in this match would be Terry.

RB: Branislav Ivaonvic

Much of the failures of Villas-Boas could be found on the right half of the field. Between the always head-down running of Daniel Sturridge and the what’s-he-doing play of Jose Bosingwa, goal after goal was conceded from that side.

Ivanovic has taken over since Bosingwa came up limp with a pulled hamstring a few weeks ago and has improved it greatly.

With Bosingwa still out, there is little doubt that Ivanovic will not start again.

Add in the aerial battle that will surely ensue and there is not better player on the Chelsea roster to play right-back.

CDM: Jon Obi Mikel

Size is of the utmost importance in this match and the 6’2” Nigerian is the biggest midfielder they have.

He played well against Birmingham, shutting down passing lanes and effectively clearing plenty of balls. On Saturday he could be asked to drop a bit deeper and bump off which ever forward is falling back to receive the ball, something Mikel does very well.

He is not going to give much in the way of speed or counter-attacking, but Stoke always make it a slow methodical game so there is no real reason to put that kind of player out there. The goals will come, but it is the defense that can’t afford to give anything up easy.

CDM: Michael Essien

The defense would feel comfortable knowing that the African duo of Mikel and Essien are lying just in front.

Essien provides a sort of counter to Mikel’s play. He will drop back and help out with his strength and speed, but also can be dynamic going forward, allowing Mikel to stay back and protect the line. It is the kind of play that won Chelsea multiple titles under the former managers, but something Villas-Boas refused to do.

It also starts the team’s most versatile player. Should things not go according to plan, there is about six other positions you could move Essien to and not have to waste a sub.

Di Matteo may want to see how it works as it could be a possibility for Wednesday's match against Napoli.

CAM: Frank Lampard

Lampard will get his first start in the Di Matteo era just behind the lone forward. The position in which Juan Mata performed exceptionally well in on Tuesday against Birmingham would be better suited for the Englishman this particular match.

The physicality of Stoke is going to need a bigger midfielder who does not get off the ball as easily. While Mata is strong, Lampard is much more direct and does not allow for the kind of elbow-in-the-chest defending Stoke will do.

Furthermore, height will be a necessity when defending set pieces and Lampard does a very good job of this.

LM: Juan Mata

Mata was moved to the middle against Birmingham and it made all the difference in the play. The team was more dynamic and creating more chances on how he was able to link up with the attackers.

However, he may be better suited on the left come Saturday. With Lampard in the middle, Mata would have free range to move as he pleases on the outside, looping balls into the center for both Lampard and the forward to latch on to.

He also could attract attention to himself on the flank and find Lampard, who is one of the best midfielders at finding pockets of space all alone atop the box.

With the tough-hitting style Stoke play, Mata may be outmuscled in the middle. Leaving him alone on the outside would give him more room to work his magic.

RM: Daniel Sturridge

Against Birmingham, Sturridge was the only player who did not survive the lineup from Villas-Boas’ starting 11. But it was probably more airing on the side of caution as to not over work the youngster in this pivotal stretch.

I expect Sturridge to make the start against Stoke due to his pure speed. The Stoke full-backs are by no means the fastest defenders in the world and give plenty of room for Sturridge to run at them.

With a opposing attack that is not known for running on the counter, there is less worry about Sturridge getting caught too far up field and blowing his defensive assignment.

He also could drift inside to link up with the forward in a more traditional two-forward front, should the wide wing play not work.

CF: Didier Drogba

Fernando Torres had a fine game against Birmingham, but when it comes down to it, he still did not score. Against a stringent Stoke side that has given up only 38 goals on the season, there is no wasting opportunities.

While Drogba’s scoring record this season is not much better than Torres’, it still gives them the greatest odds of finding the net. His presence alone intimidates defenders, and the ability to create something out of nothing is always a threat.

With Lampard playing behind him, it is better to have the Ivorian link up with the midfielder as the two have created countless goals off one another’s play.

In the end though, it may just come down to the fact that though Torres and Drogba have been equally poor in the attack, the latter gives them much better odds in the defense of set pieces.

Who Do You Think Will Start Sturday?

This Saturday's game against Stoke is important in the sense that every Chelsea game for the remainder of the season is important until they lock up that fourth-place spot.

So who do you think will start against Tony Pulis and co.? Do you like my lineup or will he do something different? Could we see two strikers? Could they actually be Torres and Drogba?!

As always, please leave your comments below and thanks for reading!

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