The FourFourTwo Preview: Stoke vs Chelsea
Jose Mourinho has never overseen a Premier League defeat in December and will look to extend that run at Stoke City on Saturday.
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In addition to his remarkable record in December, which features 15 victories from 19 matches, the Portuguese will be further boosted by the fact that Chelsea have won eight of the 10 Premier League clashes between the sides, with the other two ending all square.
Stoke have not picked up a win against Chelsea since a League Cup clash in 1995, and are without a triumph in the league since 1975.
Those statistics will cause some concern for fans of the Britannia Stadium club, who have recorded just one win in 11 league fixtures.
Stoke will also be keen to erase memories of the last time they came up against Chelsea, when Jonathan Walters scored two own goals and missed a penalty in a 4-0 home defeat.
Walters will have had plenty of time to mull over that performance heading into this weekend's clash, having been an unused substitute for Wednesday's goalless draw with Cardiff City, ending a run of 102 consecutive league starts.
The Irish international remains a doubt for the visit of Chelsea due to a thigh problem, while Robert Huth (knee) is set to miss out once again.
Mourinho, meanwhile, has question marks over the fitness of Samuel Eto'o (hamstring), David Luiz (knee) and Oscar (ankle), who all missed Chelsea's 4-3 midweek victory at Sunderland.
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Despite history weighing heavily against the hosts, Charlie Adam is optimistic Stoke can take something from the encounter.
"We have a tough game at the weekend," the midfielder told his club's official website. "But they will be coming here knowing that they have a tough afternoon too.
"They are one of the top teams in the league.
"We want to win the game though, and we will create chances. If we can take one or two of them, (and) have that bit of luck then it is a game that we can get something from, for sure."
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