Is it bad luck, or bad tactics or both, but Chelsea will go against Stoke tomorrow for the FA cup without 6 key players.
The goalie Petr Cech who was injured in the game with Inter, Michael Essien who was supposed to return tomorrow will not for at least a week.
Jose Bosingwa who is out for the rest of the season due to knee injury,Ricardo Carvalho is experiencing a muscle trauma and is out for now.
Two players are suspended because of their red cards against City, those are Michael Ballack and Juliano Belletti.
So without doubt the “easy” game against Stoke is not so easy now. I would advise all football bettors to look closely in this game and look for the surprise here. Chelsea might be in some “shock” still from their first loss at home with 2:4 and if Stoke City plays their cards right they can probably eliminate them.
With four injured players and important games in the season ahead, makes me wonder if Chelsea has what it takes to keep the lead? With Manchester United just a point behind, and the unstoppable Rooney, will the Red Devils be able to steal the trophy?
If this question was asked early in the season, I would have said “No way” but I am not so sure now… Clearly when you have such a well bonding team you should give your players a rest once on a while. Perhaps this is the reason for some of the injuries that have occurred lately.
I am positive that Chelsea and United fans will follow closely the rest of the games in the season, hoping for the other to trip along 
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