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Stoke City vs Chelsea: What time does it start, what TV channel is it on, where can I watch it?

Follow all the action from the Premier League fixture at the Bet 365 stadium

Sam Dymond,Liam Lines
Saturday 18 March 2017 14:42 GMT
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Crouch and Courtois will again go head to head when Stoke entertain Chelsea
Crouch and Courtois will again go head to head when Stoke entertain Chelsea (Getty)

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Mark Hughes’s Stoke are the latest team tasked with trying to halt Chelsea's seemingly inevitable march towards the title.

SHughes’ side have only one victory against Chelsea at home in 17 attempts in the Premier League and, to make their task even harder, they will be without the injured Jack Butland.

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte could extend Chelsea’s gap at the top to 13 points as second-place Spurs don’t play until Sunday.

Follow all of the action with our liveblog...

What time does it start?

Stoke City vs Chelsea kicks off at 3.00pm

Where can I watch it?

The match will be available to listen to on BBC Radio 5 Live from 3.00pm.

It’s a big game for…


Stoke will need Crouch to be at their best (Man Utd via Getty)

 Stoke will need Crouch to be at their best (Man Utd via Getty)
 (Man Utd via Getty Images)

Peter Crouch. The 36-year-old striker has scored four goals this season and is only four away from his recent best of 8 in the league, which came two seasons ago.

With what seems to be an impenetrable defence at times, Chelsea do appear to have one weakness: high balls to the back post. Crouch could prove key in this regard.

Remember when…

The last time Stoke beat Chelsea in the league was by a one goal margin, as Marko Arnautovic acrobatically finished past Asmir Begovic ito compound Jose Mourinho's misery.

Player to watch…

Cesc Fabregas. The midfielder has been in fine form with seven assists and two goals this season.

Past three-meetings….

Chelsea 4 (Cahill, Willian 2, Costa) Stoke 2 (Martins Indi, Crouch), Premier League, December 2016
Chelsea 1 (Traore) Stoke 1 (Diouf), Premier League, December 2016
Stoke 1 (Arnautovic) Chelsea 0, Premier League, November 2016

Form guide…

Stoke City: DDLWLW
Chelsea: WDWWWW

Odds…

Stoke City to win: 27/5
Chelsea to win: 5/9
Draw: 3/1
(Odds provided by 888 Sport)

Now we turn our attentions to the three o'clock kick-offs in the Premier League with our attention on the match between Stoke City and leaders Chelsea at the Britannia Stadium our main focus.

Sam Dymond18 March 2017 14:55

Here's how the teams line up for this afternoon's five Premier League matches...

Stoke v Chelsea

Stoke: Grant, Bardsley, Shawcross, Martins Indi, Pieters, Ramadan, Cameron, Allen, Arnautovic, Walters, Berahino

Subs: Given, Muniesa, Whelan, Afellay, Adam, Diouf, Crouch

Chelsea: Courtois, Azpilicueta, David Luiz, Cahill, Moses, Kante, Matic, Alonso, Willian, Diego Costa, Pedro

Subs: Begovic, Fabregas, Zouma, Ake, Loftus-Cheek, Batshuayi, Chalobah

Referee: Anthony Taylor

Crystal Palace v Watford

Crystal Palace: Hennessey, Ward, Tomkins, Sakho, Schlupp, Cabaye, Milivojevic, Zaha, Puncheon, Townsend, Benteke.

Subs: Speroni, Dann, Campbell, Lee Chung-Yong, Sako, Delaney, Kelly

Watford: Cathcart, Kaboul, Prodl, Britos, Behrami, Janmaat, Cleverley, Capoue, Niang, Deeney.

Subs: Pantilimon, Amrabat, Success, Doucoure, Zuniga, Holebas, Okaka

Referee: Martin Atkinson

Everton v Hull

Everton: Robles, Coleman, Ashley Williams, Jagielka, Baines, Schneiderlin, Barkley, Davies, Gana, Calvert-Lewin, Lukaku

Subs: Stekelenburg, Lennon, Barry, Valencia, Funes Mori, Holgate, Lookman

Hull: Jakupovic, Elabdellaoui, Davies, Ranocchia, Maguire, Robertson, Markovic, Huddlestone, N'Diaye, Clucas, Hernandez

Subs: Marshall, Meyler, Maloney, Grosicki, Diomande, Elmohamady, Tymon

Referee: Paul Tierney

Sunderland v Burnley

Sunderland: Pickford, Jones, Oviedo, Denayer, O’Shea, Rodwell, Gibson, Larsson, Borini, Januzaj, Defoe

Subs: Mannone, Djilobodji, Khazri, Lescott, Ndong, Manquillo, Honeyman

Burnley: Heaton, Ward, Mee, Keane, Lowton, Arfield, Hendrick, Barton, Boyd, Barnes, Gray

Subs: Robinson, Flanagan, Vokes, Brady, Defour, Westwood, Tarkowski

Referee: Robert Madley

West Ham v Leicester

West Ham: Randolph, Byram, Fonte, Reid, Cresswell, Kouyate, Obiang, Ayew, Lanzini, Antonio, Carroll

Subs: Adrian, Nordtveit, Feghouli, Snodgrass, Collins, Masuaku, Fernandes

Leicester: Schmeichel, Simpson, Huth, Benalouane, Fuchs, Mahrez, Ndidi, Drinkwater, Albrighton, Okazaki, Vardy

Subs: Zieler, Chilwell, Musa, King, Amartey, Slimani, Gray

Referee: Roger East

Sam Dymond18 March 2017 14:58

KICK-OFF: Here we go! There's plenty to play for this afternoon not least for the league leaders who can go 13 points clear at the top with Tottenham, Liverpool and Manchester City not in action until tomorrow. 

Sam Dymond18 March 2017 15:01

5 mins: GOAL! WEST HAM 0 LEICESTER 1:

Premier League champions Leicester City haven't won an away game all season, but maybe this will be the day! Riyad Mahrez has the Foxes ahead at the London Stadium. The Algerian went searching for Shinji Okazaki with a curling cross from the right, but his delivery outfoxed everyone including his own striker and West Ham goalkeeper Darren Randolph to find the far corner of the net.

Sam Dymond18 March 2017 15:05

7 mins: GOAL! WEST HAM 0 LEICESTER 2:

Surely this will be the day! Robert Huth has doubled Leicester's lead and West Ham trail by two within the opening seven minutes at home. Riyad Mahrez was at the heart of it once again, finding Marc Albrighton, and the former Aston Villa's man cross found Huth unmarked to head past Darren Randolph. It's a long way back for the Hammers now.

Sam Dymond18 March 2017 15:08

9 mins: GOAL! EVERTON 1 HULL 0:

A huge moment for 20-year-old Dominic Calvert-Lewin! It's a first Everton goal for the latest product to graduate to The School of Science and he converted in good company. Ross Barkley started the move by unleashing Tom Davies, and the teenager kept his cool brilliantly to square between two Hull defenders for Calvert-Lewin to score.

Sam Dymond18 March 2017 15:09

13 mins: GOAL! STOKE 0 CHELSEA 1:

At the Britannia Stadium, Willian is celebrating but the focus will be on Stoke City goalkeeper Lee Grant. A free-kick on the left was swung towards the near post by Chelsea's Brazilian but it should have been comfortably dealt with by the home stopped. Instead, Grant was slow to react and, in the circumstances, could only push the ball into his own net. No Eden Hazard for Chelsea? No problem.

Sam Dymond18 March 2017 15:13

20 mins: GOAL! WEST HAM 1 LEICESTER 2:

West Ham are back in it! With Dimitri Payet departed, Manuel Lanzini has taken on free-kick duties at the London Stadium to great effect. The Argentine has just flicked one over the wall and into the top left corner that had Kasper Schmeichel rooted to his spot.

Sam Dymond18 March 2017 15:21

22 mins: Stoke 0 Chelsea 1: Since taking the lead, Chelsea have started to show their dominance and a wonderful flowing move moments ago nearly ended in a second goal. Pedro and Diego Costa combined brilliantly to find Willian before the Brazilian's back-heel landed in the path of Victor Moses. The wing-back took aim but Ryan Shawcross got over to block the ball behind.

Sam Dymond18 March 2017 15:27

25 mins: Stoke 0 Chelsea 1: There's a short stoppage in play as David Luiz receives treatment following a clash of heads with Jonathan Walters. The medics have given him the all clear, the defender high fives his opponent and we're good to go again.

Sam Dymond18 March 2017 15:30

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