Chelsea stopper Petr Cech has studied tapes of Stoke City and acknowledges the threat posed by some of their route one tactics. "I have a plan for the game," the 26 year old informed the club's official website. "I can't tell you exactly what this is but we will see if it works or not. We are well-prepared as a team for the long throw because we know about it and they scored decisive goals from it, so we need to make sure we control that, and we have a plan and we will try to make it work."

"Their biggest strength is from set plays, they have the big guys and they know about us. They are dangerous in this simple play and we need to be careful. Conceding a goal from set plays means it becomes more difficult," he said.

"I haven't seen all of their games but from the matches I saw, we have to expect a difficult game," he added. "At home they are well organised, solid defensively and will offer the pressure of a promoted team, who are in their first year, have the enthusiasm and are discovering the Premier League, enjoying every second of every game."

"The fans are up for it as well, so it's a tough game, for them to play Chelsea at home will give them extra motivation so we need to match them in terms of motivation and the will to win the game," he concluded.