Godd afternoon and welcome to Eurosport's live coverage of Stoke City versus Chelsea. I don't think we'll have any planes towing banners, but there is a chance for the league leaders to go 13 points clear.

Saido Berahino, meanwhile, hasn't scored a competitive goal in more than a year. His last came at the end of February 2016 in a Premier League win for West Brom over Crystal Palace.

Diego Costa is on 49 Premier League goals. If he scores today it will have taken him 80 games to reach 50 goals, edging out Sergio Aguero by a match to become the fifth fastest player to that landmark. Andy Cole (65 games), Alan Shearer (66), Ruud van Nistelrooy (68) and Fernando Torres (72) are the only men to do it quicker.

While Hughes was flattering of the opposition, so too was Conte. “Stoke are a really strong, physical team with great players - for this reason, we must pay great attention and focus,” he said. “In the game at Stamford Bridge, Stoke City played very well. We won 4-2, but the game was played very well by both teams. They have a really good team, a good coach, and for sure they want to prepare in the right way for this game. We will have a tough test.”

This was one of those deafeats, and what a game it was. Oussama Assaidi, by the way, is now at FC Twente after a two-year spell in the UAE.

Meanwhile Chelsea will be bouyed by the knowlege that in 17 Premier League meetings they have only twice been defeated by Stoke.

Hughes and his players will take heart from teh fact that Stoke have won the last two meetings between these two at the bet365 Stadium. One was in the Premier League and the other was a League Cup tie they won 5-4 on penalties.

It's fair to wsay Stoke boss Mark Hughes is under no illusions about the task his side face today. "You have to say that they [Chelsea] are the toughest challenge we will face because they are the most consistent team and have a way of playing which tactically is difficult to go up against,” he said this week. “If you try to stop one area of their progression then they will open up other areas of the pitch and are able to attack in another way. They have good flexibility within a solid structure."

Per Chelsea's Twitter account, Antonio Conte has said Hazard has "a little problem" keeping him sidelined.

As for the Chelsea team, the big news is that there's no Eden Hazard. He's not even on the bench, with Pedro replacing him in the only change to the side who edged out Manchester United in the FA Cup on Monday.

The hosts make one change to teh side that drew 0-0 at Manchester City in their last match, with Marko Arnautovic replacing Mame Biram Diouf.