Good afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's Premier League clash between Stoke City and Chelsea at the bet365 Stadium. The visitors have looked unstoppable for a number of months now and could move another step closer to the title with a victory here today, but Stoke have proved tough to beat in recent weeks and have a decent record at home against Chelsea too, so this one is by no means a foregone conclusion. Before we have a more in-depth look at all that, though, let's check out the team news...

STOKE STARTING XI: Grant; Bardsley, Shawcross, Martins Indi, Pieters; Ramadan, Cameron, Allen, Arnautovic; Walters, Berahino

STOKE SUBS: Given, Muniesa, Whelan, Afellay, Adam, Diouf, Crouch

CHELSEA STARTING XI: Courtois; Azpilicueta, David Luiz, Cahill; Moses, Kante, Matic, Alonso; Willian, Diego Costa, Pedro

CHELSEA SUBS: Begovic, Zouma, Ake, Chalobah, Loftus-Cheek, Fabregas, Batshuayi

What can we make of those two teams, then? Well the headline as far as the home side are concerned is that Marko Arnautovic returns to the starting lineup having missed the draw with Manchester City through illness last time out. The Austrian scored twice against Middlesbrough on his last outing and on his day can be a very dangerous player with those deep runs, so he is someone Chelsea will need to keep a close eye on today.

Also looking to breach that Chelsea defence will be January signing Saido Berahino, who made his first start for Stoke against Man City last time out and did enough to keep his place in the team today. The former West Brom striker has had a torrid time of things since his breakthrough season, but his arrival at the Potters could be exactly the fresh start he needs to rediscover the sort of form that had many tipping him as a future England regular. A first Stoke goal this afternoon would be a good start on that path.

Berahino will be joined up front by Jonathan Walters as Peter Crouch once again has to settle for a place on the bench, and despite a purple patch recently for Crouch, Mark Hughes will want more from his strikers in general over the closing months of the season. Joe Allen is Stoke's top scorer in the Premier League this season with six goals to his name and, while the midfielder's contributions have been valuable, the Potters do not want him to be leading their scoring charts.

Arnautovic's return to the side is the only change from the team that started against Man City last time out, with Diouf the man to drop to the bench. The team sheet given by Stoke suggests that they will once again go for a 4-4-2 formation, but Geoff Cameron could possibly drop back into defence if Mark Hughes wanted to mirror Chelsea's 3-4-3 system - something plenty of clubs have done in their efforts to stop the Chelsea juggernaut this season. Interestingly, there is no place for Shaqiqi in the squad as he misses a seventh consecutive game, while Bony is also absent despite being eligible to play after missing out against parentclub Man City last week.

There are rarely any surprises when it comes to the Chelsea side, with Antonio Conte have used the fewest players (21) and made the fewest changes to his starting XI (24) in the Premier League this season. However, the big surprise in the Chelsea side this week is the absence of Eden Hazard from the squad. The Belgian was on the end of numerous fouls by Manchester United players during Monday's FA Cup tie and presumably picked up an injury that keeps him out of the squad entirely for today's game.

© SilverHub

Hazard's absence is the only change to the team that beat 10-man United on Monday, despite Conte confirming in his pre-match press conference that he had two players struggling following their FA Cup outing. Pedro comes into the side in place of Hazard, meaning that Willian keeps his place in the starting XI having registered his first ever Premier League brace in the reverse fixture between the two sides. However, the Brazilian has not scored in eight league outings since that game.

The main source of goals for Chelsea will, as always, be Diego Costa, who needs just one to bring up a half-century in the Premier League. Should he get that today then he would be only the seventh Chelsea player to reach the milestone and the fifth-quickest in Premier League history, after only Andy Cole, Alan Shearer, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Fernando Torres. This is Costa's 80th Premier League game and he has scored in 43 of his previous 79 - a higher proportion than any other player to have played more than 20 games in the division.

Elsewhere it is as you were for Chelsea, which means that Nemanja Matic retains his place alongside the brilliant Kante while Fabregas must make do with a spot on the bench. Moses, who was a doubt for the game after picking up a knock against United, has been passed fit to continue in the right wing-back role, while Cesar Azpilicueta will make his 150th Premier League appearance for the Blues. Terry, meanwhile, is absent from the squad due to a minor injury.

The absence of Hazard will certainly be a boost for the hosts today, then, but there is still enough firepower in the Chelsea side to do plenty of damage to Stoke and the Potters know they will need to be on top of their game if they are to get anything out of this one today. Since their promotion to the Premier League they have established themselves as a difficult team to beat, particularly at home, and you'd have to think that Mark Hughes would be relatively happy with a draw today.

A draw is what they managed against Manchester City last time out, preventing Pep Guardiola's side from scoring at the Etihad Stadium in a midweek stalemate to make to back-to-back clean sheets in the Premier League. Stoke's defensive record has not been particularly impressive throughout the season, though, with the Potters having conceded more goals than any other side in the top half of the table.

Having said that, things do seem to be improving on that front and a clean sheet today would make it three in a row in the Premier League for the first time since November 2015 - a run which included a 1-0 home triumph over Chelsea. Stoke have also kept six clean sheets in front of their own fans this season, which is a tally that only Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, Arsenal and Southampton can beat.

There are problems at the other end of the field too, though, with only Burnley and Leicester City having scored fewer goals than the Potters outside the bottom three. Only five teams have scored fewer than Stoke's 18 goals in front of their own fans this season too, despite Hughes investing heavily in forward players down the years. The likes of Shaqiri, Arnautovic, Bony, Berahino and Crouch have all proven that they can score goals at this level, but it just hasn't been happening for them this season.

In fairness to Stoke, they have recovered very well from a dreadful start to the season and, with 10 games of the campaign remaining, can consider themselves safe from being dragged into any relegation battle with 12 points currently separating them from the bottom three. The target over the remainder of the season will be improvement, although that could be difficult considering West Bromwich Albion are now seven points above them in eighth following their win over Arsenal in the early kickoff. Stoke currently sit in ninth place, which is exactly where they have finished in the past three seasons.

One of the main reasons behind Stoke's inability to progress further up the table than ninth is their record against those teams above them in the standings. All nine of their Premier League wins this season have come against teams currently placed 12th or below, while they have picked up just five points from a possible 39 in games against the top eight, failing to win any of their 13 such matches.

Narrowing that record even further down with an eye on this game today, Stoke have lost five and won none of their six matches against teams in the top four as things stand, although that solitary point did come in their last outing against Manchester City. Stoke have also won just one of their previous 12 games against teams who began the match top of the Premier League table, drawing two and losing nine of those.

The stats point to a Chelsea win, then, and the formbook is very much in favour of the runaway Premier League leaders too. Manager Antonio Conte has set his side a target of 24 points - or eight more wins - to secure the Premier League title this season, but while that is the mathematical target that will guarantee top spot, in truth they may not need all of those victories. Tottenham and Manchester City are likely to drop more points between now and the end of the season and, with a 10-point advantage over their closest challengers, Chelsea can even afford to do the same too.

Not that Conte will be allowing that message to filter through to his players. One of the reasons behind Chelsea's dominance in the league this season is their ability to keep up their winning habit even when they are not at their best. Their form has been relentless and it is hard to see that sort of consistency slipping to such an extent that they will throw the title away from this position. They have won an incredible 18 of their last 21 league games, losing just once in that time, and it would be hard to argue against the Blues being clear and worthy champions this season.

Chelsea come into this match unbeaten in their last 11 outings in all competitions, winning nine and drawing two since their defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in their opening match of 2017. Indeed, they have won 22 and lost just two of their last 26 games across all competitions, which had put Conte on course to emulate his compatriot Carlo Ancelotti's Premier League and FA Cup double in his debut season at the club.

Chelsea comfortably saw off the challenge of 10-man Manchester United in the FA Cup on Monday, with Kante capping a man-of-the-match display with the only goal of the game at Stamford Bridge. That set up a semi-final showdown with London rivals Tottenham Hotspur and, while Spurs are the team who have arguably caused Chelsea more problems than any other this term, it is Conte's side who are the favourites to go on and lift the trophy - not a bad way to begin your reign when coupled with what looks like an inevitable Premier League title too.

If there is any minor criticism of Chelsea in recent weeks - and it would only be very minor - it is that their pace has slowed a little compared to a stunning winning streak that was brought to an end by Spurs. Victory today would mark the first time in 2017 that they have won three Premier League games on the bounce, while they have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last five league outings having kept 12 in 16 before that.

That really is clutching at straws when it comes to looking for weaknesses in his Chelsea side, though. They still boats the best defensive record in the division, with the most clean sheets to boot, and they have been particularly impressive in these types of games. While a team like Liverpool have thrived against their closest rivals, Chelsea's main source of points has come against teams lower down the standings. They have won 18 of their 20 league outings against teams currently outside the top five in the Premier League, with the only exceptions being draws against Burnley and Swansea.

Chelsea have been impressive away from home too, losing just one of their last 11 league games on the road including an ongoing four-match unbeaten run. No team has amassed more points or conceded fewer goals away from home in the Premier League this season, although Chelsea are without a clean sheet in their last three away games having kept six in eight before that. They have also drawn two of their last three on the road and today are looking for back-to-back league away wins for the first time in 2017.

PREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes away from kickoff at the bet365 Stadium, which means that it is time for a prediction! Stoke have already proved that they can make things difficult for top teams, taking points off both Manchester clubs and Everton during a run of just two defeats in nine league games since the turn of the year, but Chelsea are another class above that and it is almost impossible to back against Conte's machine right now. I'm going for a 2-0 away win, with Costa and Willian on the scoresheet.

As you might as expect, Chelsea have had the better of this fixture since Stoke's promotion to the top flight, with 12 wins and only two defeats in their previous 17 Premier League meetings. However, Stoke have only lost one of the last four meetings across all competitions and have won their last two at home - a penalty shootout victory in the League Cup in October 2015 and a 1-0 win in the Premier League a month later.

Indeed, including that penalty shootout defeat Chelsea have lost on three of their last four visits to Stoke, winning the other. Stretching even further back, Chelsea have won just two of their last seven away games against the Potters in all competitions, with two draws and three defeats in that time.

That includes a 1-0 defeat in this corresponding fixture last season, when Arnautovic scored the only goal of the game early in the second half as Chelsea's miserable start to their title defence continued. It has, of course, been a very different story this time around, though, and the reverse meeting on New Year's Eve saw Chelsea run out 4-2 winners. Stoke put up a good fight, coming from behind twice when Martins Indi and Crouch cancelled out goals from Cahill and Willian, but Willian then grabbed a second before Costa sealed the win late on.

Right, the players are out and we're just about ready to get going here! Can Stoke slow Chelsea's charge down or will the champions-elect march on here?

KICKOFF: Here we go then! Chelsea get us underway at the bet365 Stadium!

Cagey start to the game with no real action to speak of. Chelsea have edged the possession in the opening exchanges, as you would expect, but no chances in the early minutes.

Stoke have their first real chance to attack as Walters bears down the left flank before looking inside and finding Arnautovic. The Austrian tries to clip a pass in behind the defence for Berahino, but Luiz is there to cut it out.

UPDATE: There has been an early goal elsewhere in the Premier League today, with Riyad Mahrez giving Leicester the lead at West Ham. The Foxes have a dreadful away record this season, so a win today would be a huge boost to their survival hopes.

UPDATE: Make that 2-0 to Leicester! The Foxes have made a flying start at the London Stadium and have now doubled their lead through Robert Huth!

UPDATE: Still no goalmouth action here at the bet365 Stadium, but there is no shortage of it elsewhere in the Premier League and now Everton have taken the lead against Hull through Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Already there have been a couple of battles between Martins Indi and Costa, and the pair clash again in the area here. That could be a running theme this afternoon.

Chelsea find the breakthrough, and it is Willian who gets his first Premier League goal since netting a brace against Stoke on New Year's Eve. Arnautovic concedes a free kick on the left flank for a foul on Alonso and everyone is expecting a cross from Willian. However, he sneaks it into the near post and Grant can't keep it out. It is smart play from the Brazilian, but Grant should have saved it. He was caught out but still got there in enough time to have kept it out.

YELLOW CARD! Allen is the first player in the book this afternoon for a foul on Costa.

YELLOW CARD! Costa is already fuming as the treatment he is receiving from Martins Indi and, after again not getting a free kick in his favour, he is shown a yellow card for dissent.

This one is shaping up nicely after the first 20 minutes or so. Stoke will need to come out and attack Chelsea following that Willian goal, and I highly doubt we have seen the last of the battle between Martins Indi and Costa too.

Almost a chance for Chelsea as they break forward quickly, with Costa feeding the ball to Willian, who in turn knocks it back for Moses. The wing-back goes for goal, but his effort is well blocked.

Chelsea have enjoyed 64% of the ball in the opening quarter of this game, and they look quite comfortable and in control right now. As long as it remains 1-0, Stoke are still in this game, but you feel that another for Chelsea would make things very difficult for the Potters to recover from.

Three of which have come against Stoke...

6 - Willian has scored his 6th Premier League goal of the season, his best tally in a single campaign in the competition. Return. — OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 18, 2017

Concern for Chelsea over David Luiz here following a clash of heads with Walters. The Brazilian needs treatment, but it looks like both will be able to continue.

UPDATE: There has been another goal at the London Stadium, where West Ham have pulled one back against Leicester through Manuel Lanzini's free kick. The hosts now trail the champions 2-1.

CHANCE! Lee Grant goes some way to atoning for his earlier error with a big save to keep his side in this match! The ball is lifted into the box for Alonso, who finds himself goalside of the defence and onside too. He hammers the ball on target, but it is straight at Grant, who makes an important stop.

DISALLOWED GOAL! Stoke have the ball in the back of the net, but it won't count! Martins Indi, who also got the equaliser in the reverse fixture put it in from an onside position, but the flag was raised against Berahino, who was offside. It is a controversial one!

Now then! Stoke will not go down without a fight in this match and they level things up from the spot with just seven minutes of the first half remaining! It is a very soft penalty, it must be said, as Cahill is penalised for a push on Walters, but up gets the Ireland international to thum his spot kick home.

YELLOW CARD! Phil Bardsley is the third player in the book this half after catching Costa during an aerial battle.

CHANCE! Chelsea look for an immediate response as Pedro breaks into the box but, after seeing his initial effort blocked, he fires the rebound over the top.

60 – Jon Walters has been directly involved in 60 PL goals for Stoke City (42 goals, 18 assists); more than any other player. Stalwart. — OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 18, 2017

There will be a minimum of four minutes added time at the end of this first half.

As things stand this is very nicely set up for the second half. Chelsea are being forced to battle for absolutely everything at the moment.

The first half comes to an end at the bet365 Stadium, then, and it is all square between Stoke and Chelsea. The Potters have made things very difficult for the visitors, as expected, and if Chelsea re to take another step towards the title this afternoon then they will have worked very hard for it. Conte's side have seen most of the ball, but this one is finely poised for the upcoming 45 minutes.

The opening goal arrived after just 13 minutes when Willian caught Stoke keeper Lee Grant out with a cheeky free kick to the near post. Everyone - Grant included - was expecting a cross into the middle, but Willian curled the ball towards the bottom corner and managed to sneak it in. Grant still got there in enough time to keep it out, but he couldn't push it away and it must go down as a goalkeeping error.

Stoke levelled things up with seven minutes remaining of the half, though, and again it came from a set piece as Walters placed a penalty straight down the middle after being fouled in the area by Cahill. The decision looked to be a soft one, although Cahill did both push Walters and catch the forward with his foot while chasing back to prevent him from reaching a free kick, so you can see why referee Anthony Taylor gave it.

The officials were in the spotlight moments before that too when Bruno Martins Indi appeared to have equalised for the Potters shortly after half time when he planted a header past Courtois. However, the referee went over to check with his linesman and disallowed the goal for what looked to be an offside against Berahino, although there was also the chance that it could have been for a push.

KICKOFF: Stoke City get us back underway at the start of the second half! No changes for either side.

This has been a bright start to the second half for Chelsea as Costa and now Pedro make breaks behind the defence. The latter wins a corner for the visitors, but it comes to nothing.

It will be interesting to see how Stoke approach this second half as they are very much in this game and will feel that the win is there to be taken. However, it is more likely that they will continue to try to frustrate Chelsea and in particular Costa, who is on a yellow card.

Chance for Chelsea to break down the left flank as Alonso escapes the attentions of Arnautovic, but his low ball into the box is put behind for a corner.

Concern for Pieters here as he goes down following a clash with Willian. The Stoke defender actually tried to step across the Brazilian in order to block him off while Allen had the ball, but it was Pieters who came off worse.

Matic pings a pass over the top for Willian, who does well to keep it in but is then swiftly dispossessed by Martins Indi.

These Stoke defenders are just poking and needling at Costa at every chance they got. They know that Chelsea striker is susceptible to a loss of temper and it would not be a big surprise to see him either sent off or subbed off before the end today.

The Stoke supporters are chanting Bruno Martins Indi's name every time he is involved. They are just as big a part of that running battle with Costa as the player himself!

STOKE SUB: The hosts make the first change of the afternoon as Mame Biram Diouf replaces Berahino, who has had a very quiet game.

SAVE! Grant is not looking entirely safe today! Luiz tries his luck with a free kick from all of 40 yards, with Stoke not even bothering with a wall it is so far out. The ball is swerving all over the places and bounces just in front of Grant, though, and the keeper spills it into a dangerous area. Fortunately for Grant his defence is alert and clears the danger.

UPDATE: There has been a fifth goal at the London Stadium, and West Ham are once again back in the game courtesy of a header from Andre Ayew. The hosts trail Leicester 3-2!

YELLOW CARD! Pieters has his heart in his mouth here as he slides in as the last man but is beaten to the ball by Costa. It was a genuine attempt for the ball, though, and there was another covering defender so it is only deemed worthy of a yellow rather than a red. Martins Indi is also booked for an earlier foul on Costa.

OFF THE BAR! Chelsea are so close to regaining the lead through another free kick, and this one is a spectacular effort from Alonso! He curls it over the wall and Courtois is worried, but the ball crashes against the crossbar and Stoke survive!

Stoke respond to that let-off with a spell of pressure themselves, but Allen is denied a shooting opportunity by the ever-present Kante and a promising attacking platform breaks down.

SAVE! At the other end Matic tries his luck from range and again the ball bounces just in front of Grant, but this time he is down to it and able to hold on.

CHELSEA SUB: Interesting change from Conte here as Cesc Fabregas replaces Moses, which should see Chelsea revert to a four-man defence.

Stoke are now less than 20 minutes away from what would be an impressive point against the league leaders here, and despite only having had one shot all game they would not have given up hope of winning this one either. They win their first corner of the second half here, but it is wasted.

Crucial interception from Allen inside his own box as he gets to the ball just as Fabregas was about to pull the trigger. Stoke may need to batten down the hatches in this final 15 minutes or so, but they have the players to do exactly that.

CHANCE! Really good save from Grant as Chelsea continue to probe for that second goal! Willian slides a pass down the left channel for Pedro, who tries to sneak his shot in at the near post, but Grant pushes it wide with a strong one-handed stop.

UPDATE: Everton have surely wrapped up a win that will take them into the top six at Goodison Park, with Enner Valencia making it 2-0 against 10-man Hull, who have had captain Tom Huddlestone sent off.

Just 10 minutes remain in this match now and it is still all to play for! This will by no means be a major slip-up from Chelsea if it stays this way, but it will give the likes of Tottenham and Man City that extra bit of belief that perhaps their lead is surmountable.

CHELSEA SUB: The visitors make another change here as Ruben Loftus-Cheek replaces Matic.

CHANCES! Stoke are the team applying the pressure right now, and they have a couple of good openings to get what could be a winner! First the ball is played in towards Walters, but he goes with his foot when the ball was head height. That means he is unable to turn the ball goalwards, but it then falls to Sobhi, who completely miscues his shot and sends it towards the touchline. The hosts needed more composure there.

Huge goal for Chelsea as they take a big step towards the Premier League title - but they owe an assist to Pieters! The left-back initially puts Grant in all sorts of problems with a poor back-pass that eventually results in a corner. Luiz wins the ball from the resulting delivery and Pieters can only pass his attempted clearance straight to Cahill, who sweeps it home from close range. It is a nightmare for Pieters, and Stoke are once again undone by an individual error.

History shows us that 13 points is an unassailable lead in the Premier League title race - is this the match that well and truly confirms Chelsea as champions-elect? It is so hard to see them being caught when they still manage to win games like this one.

There will be four minutes of added time at the end of this match as Pedro curls an effort wide of the target.

YELLOW CARD! Cameron picks up a late yellow card for a foul on Costa.

STOKE SUB: A final throw of the dice for Stoke here as Peter Crouch replaces Sobhi.

OFF THE POST! Very nearly a third for Chelsea as Pedro feeds the ball inside for Costa, who holds off Shawcross before hammering a shot towards goal from a tight angle that thumps against the post with Grant beaten.

CHANCE! Chelsea are attacking at will now and they should have a third as Loftus-Cheek finds himself through on goal, but Grant makes a good low stop to his left to keep his side hanging on.

Stoke will end this game with 10 men, and it is a stupid challenge from Bardsley as he goes in hard and late on Fabregas when there was no need to. It was pure frustration from the Stoke man, but he will now miss the next game.

The referee brings an end to proceedings at the bet365 Stadium, then, and it is Chelsea who take another big step towards the Premier League title. It was a hard-fought victory, but it is exactly these types of wins that make it almost impossible to see Chelsea squandering what is now a 13-point lead at the top of the table. Jonathan Walters had cancelled out Willian's opener in the first half, but an 87th-minute winner from Gary Cahill moves Chelsea to within seven wins of the title.

Right, that is all we have time for this evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's match as Chelsea battle past Stoke to march on towards the Premier League title. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!