Welcome to Eurosport-Yahoo!'s live coverage of the Premier League clash between Stoke City and Chelsea at the Britannia Stadium!

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti and defender David Luiz have clinched the Premier League's manager and player of the month awards for March. Centre-back David Luiz, who joined the club from Benfica in January for £21.3m has enjoyed an outstanding start to his career in the Premier League. Ancelotti receives the award for the second time this season and the third time in his career after guiding the Blues to three consecutive wins, which has propelled the champions into third place in the table.

A win in the Potteries would send Chelsea just one point behind second-placed Arsenal ahead of the Gunners' home game with Blackburn later today. Stoke could move as high as seventh with a victory here, depending on other results.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: Stoke and Chelsea have met 73 times in the league. Stoke have won 22, Chelsea 35 and there have been 16 draws. Chelsea have won all five Premier League matches against Stoke and are looking to complete the double for the third consecutive season. In total, Chelsea are unbeaten in their last nine league matches against Stoke, winning the last eight, since a 3-0 away defeat in old Division One in April 1975.

The big news for Chelsea is that British record signing Fernando Torres only makes the bench this afternoon. Having started all five Premier League games since arriving from Liverpool in January, the Spain striker is dropped having not yet found the net for his new club. Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka are the front pairing for the champions. Salomon Kalou makes the bench after passing a late fitness test, but Yossi Benayoun and Alex are left out as they continue their recoveries from injury.

For Stoke, Norwegian striker John Carew has not been passed fit after suffering from a back complaint. Kenwyne Jones and Jon Walters start up front. Goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen is also suffering from a similar injury after breaking down in the warm-up ahead of Denmark's friendly against Slovakia this week, so Asmir Begovic wears the gloves.

STOKE: Begovic, Wilson, Shawcross, Huth, Higginbotham, Pennant, Delap, Whelan, Etherington, Jones, Walters. Subs: Nash, Collins, Fuller, Pugh, Diao, Whitehead, Wilkinson /// CHELSEA: Cech, Bosingwa, David Luiz, Terry, Cole, Ramires, Essien, Lampard, Malouda, Drogba, Anelka. Subs: Turnbull, Ivanovic, Torres, Mikel, Zhirkov, Ferreira, Kalou