Chelsea won emphatically against Nottingham Forest in the Carabao Cup 3rd round fixture.
Conte used the opportunity to rotate his squad and offer much-needed rest to few key stars for the gruelling period of fixtures coming up.
Chelsea face Atletico Madrid and Manchester City within 3 days of each other in the coming week and Conte must surely be worried.
However, before that, he has to worry about the trip to the Bet365 Stadium to face Stoke City.
Stoke have proven a tough nut to crack at home and Conte will surely not over-rotate his squad as he seeks to get back to winning ways in the Premier League after last weekend’s dull 0-0 draw against London rivals Arsenal.
Here is the Chelsea vs Stoke City line up prediction:
Goalkeeper:
Thibaut Courtois – The Belgian was rested against Nottingham and should be back between the sticks.
Defence:
Cesar Azpilicueta – Chelsea’s vice-captain was rested for the Carabao cup game and should be fresh for this one.
Andreas Christensen – The Dane has looked ice cool whenever asked to play this season and in David Luiz’s absence, the youngster has a chance to cement his place in the starting XI.
Antonio Rudiger – The German was dropped against Arsenal to accommodate Gary Cahill but he will find his chance again thanks to Luiz’s suspension and a strong showing in the Carabao cup.
Midfield:
Victor Moses – The Nigerian should be back on the right side after Zappacosta featured in the cup game.
N’Golo Kante – Rested against Nottingham, the Frenchman will be fresh and raring to go.
Cesc Fabregas – Despite featuring in the Carabao Cup tie, the Spaniard is likely to start against Stoke as he was subbed early for young Ethan Ampadu.
Marcos Alonso – Kennedy’s strong showing meant that Marcos Alonso will, in fact, have to compete for his spot but for now it is secure and he will continue to bombard on Chelsea’s left flank.
Attack:
Willian – The Brazilian was on the bench for the cup tie but was not called upon and is expected to start on the right wing with Pedro carrying a minor injury.
Alvaro Morata – Batshuayi continue his fine scoring run but his performances have not shown enough yet to dislodge the Spaniard who is looking to start scoring again after a dull outing against Arsenal.
Eden Hazard – The Belgian completed his first 90 minutes of the season and despite that he will be straight back in the lineup as Chelsea look to pile the pressure on the Manchester clubs currently leading the way.
