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Christmas Day has come and gone, and as inevitable as Santa Claus reliably completed his worldwide delivery of presents, Chelsea won another Premier League game.
Their win over Bournemouth was their 12th in a row meaning a defeat of Bournemouth would put them level with Arsenal’s record of 13 straight wins in a Premier League season, one short of the overall record of 14.
Stoke will hope they can do better than just making up the numbers but a 4-1 defeat to Liverpool last time out, as well as a pair of disappointing home draws before Christmas, has tempered hope of climbing up the league. They face a big ask to win this one.
Here are three key stats ahead of the game.
16 – Marcos Alonso a key man?
Although less ridiculed than the signing of David Luiz, Chelsea received a fair amount of flak for spending the best part of £25 million for a man who was ironically described by some as a ‘Bolton Wanderers and Sunderland legend,’ but the deal has proved to be an excellent one for the league leaders and the player.
Going back to his spell at Sunderland Alonso has been on the winning side on his last 16 Premier League starts (four with Sunderland and the 12 game spell with Chelsea), his inclusion in the team providing the impetus for their remarkable run.
Only Arjen Robben (20) has started in more consecutive Premier League wins. If Alonso starts, chances are Chelsea will almost certainly win.