Match Preview: Chelsea vs. Stoke City

Both sides will be looking to recover from highly-publicized defeats last weekend to book a place in the FA Cup semi-finals when they meet at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

Chelsea are of course the FA Cup holders and have enjoyed a fairly straightforward passage in the competition so far and have had the luxury of being able to rest players in previous rounds. However, they will hardly be able to afford to rest on their laurels against a Stoke City side whose defeat against Arsenal last weekend was their first since the turn of the year. The Potters are displaying a steely determination which will likely be strengthened by a desire to reach the club's first FA Cup semi-final since 1972.

Chelsea will look to recover from their worst home defeat of the Roman Abramovich era last weekend, having lost 4-2 at home to Manchester City. They will of course still be without goalkeeper Petr Cech, who is suffering from a freak calf injury and so the Blues will have to place their faith in the suspect looking Hilario once more. Coach Carlo Ancelotti will also have to make do without Juliano Belletti and Michael Ballack, both of whom received red cards during last week's defeat to City. However, Jose Bosingwa and Yuri Zhirkov should have recovered from knee and calf injuries respectively to be in contention. Chelsea will still be without long-term absentees Ashley Cole and Michael Essien.

Stoke were involved in their own well-publicized clash last weekend. Losing 3-1 at home to Arsenal, the game will be long remembered for a horrific leg break suffered by Arsenal's Aaron Ramsey. Ryan Shawcross, whose challenge led to the injury, will miss the trip to Stamford Bridge having been sent off as a result. Welsh defender Danny Collins is likely to come in as a replacement and will have the dubious honour of trying to keep the likes of Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka quiet.

Given that Chelsea conceded four goals last week, Stoke City boss Tony Pulis will be smelling blood. Having already defeated Arsenal and Manchester City in the FA Cup already this season, Pulis will at least fancy his chances of securing a replay at the Britannia Stadium. He will likely look to expose Chelsea's uncharacteristic defensive frailties by providing the Premier League leaders with a stern physical test. The likes of Mamady Sidibe and Ricardo Fuller in attack will be crucial to this. Of course, Chelsea will be well aware of Rory Delap's long throws, but whether they will be able to stop the aerial bombardment is another matter.

Although Stoke go into the game as underdogs, the Potters defeated Chelsea in the League Cup at Stamford Bridge in the early 1990s. The winning goalscorer on that occasion, Paul Peschisolido believes that the current Stoke side, with its sense of togetherness, has a chance to emulate his achievement.

Peschisolido said, “Stoke have beaten some of the top Premier League sides since promotion and there’s no reason why they can’t do the same at Chelsea,

“Tony Pulis has got a group of players whose team spirit is second to none. They are up for any battle put in front of them."

Alex Ready For Cup Clash

Brazilian centre-half Alex is confident Chelsea can repel the aerial bombardment of Rory Delap's long throws to overcome Stoke and reach the FA Cup semi-finals.

Alex is likely to partner captain John Terry in defence as Ricardo Carvalho is nursing a hamstring injury suffered on international duty with Portugal.

The defender will have to deal with the physical presence of City striker Ricardo Fuller, plus the threat of Delap's long throw.

But the 27-year-old insists he is ready for the challenge as the FA Cup holders look to reach the last four.

"We have to pay attention to the second ball," Alex said. "Sometimes it is difficult to win the first one, but you have to win the second.

"You have to play very concentrated and stay compact. Fuller has quality with the ball and he is a strong, strong man, so we have to play strong also and don't leave any space. We conceded four goals in the last game (to Manchester City), which is no good at home."

Midfielder Joe Cole will be given another chance against Stoke to prove that he can win a place in Fabio Capello's World Cup squad.

Cole's contract expires at the end of the season but he has yet to agree new terms, fuelling speculation that his relationship with the club's owner Roman Abramovich has broken down over his wage demands.

But assistant coach Ray Wilkins insists that Cole will remain at Chelsea.

"We are desperate to keep Joe," said Wilkins. "I know the club are and we as a management group feel the same. He is a very valuable asset to us.

"It is a contractual situation that he and the club I am sure will sort out at a later stage.

"I would not have thought his form has been affected by the contract situation. I just think he has had a long lay off, something like 10 months, and it is never easy to come back.

"I have spoken to Joe on numerous occasions. He is upbeat about his future here. He loves Chelsea. He wants to stay at Chelsea and I am sure that the club and his people will sort the situation out."

Wilkins also remains convinced that Cole can find a way back into Capello's plans.

"We are quite confident that Joe can get his form back and get into that 23 for South Africa," added Wilkins. "I am sure if he performs to the ability we know Joe has, then Fabio will take him.

"But as Fabio said, he has not been too impressed with Joe's form over the last couple of months, that's why he did not make the final 23 for the Egypt game.

"He will give England something slightly different. He can play on both sides of the pitch and in different formations."

Chelsea will also have to cope for the rest of the season without the services of right-back Jose Bosingwa.

He requires a further operation on his damaged knee and will miss the remainder of the season and the World Cup finals with Portugal.

Bosingwa, 27, underwent surgery after initially sustaining the injury against Aston Villa in October.

Kalou Targets The Treble

Salomon Kalou sees no reason why Chelsea cannot go on and secure the Treble this season.

The Blues do battle with Stoke City in the FA Cup on Sunday while they are also in the Premier League hunt, although they have to overturn a 2-1 first-leg defeat to Inter Milan to progress in the UEFA Champions League.

While Kalou knows it will be difficult to challenge on all fronts, the Ivory Coast star insists his team-mates are fully focused on securing all three trophies in Carlo Ancelotti's debut season.

Kalou has already won the FA Cup twice during his time at Stamford Bridge, but knows Stoke, who shocked Manchester City in the last round, will provide a stern test.

Although the odds are against Chelsea in their battle for the Treble the 24-year-old is not writing off their hopes and believes landing all three trophies would cap off the 'perfect' season.

"It is possible," he told the Daily Express. "Everyone is motivated to play the three competitions. If we can win all three, it is perfect.

"You always go for all of them and always do your best to try to achieve that. We all want to win something this year.

"We have won the FA Cup twice [2007 and 2009], so we are looking forward to winning the Premier League and the Champions League.

"That would be the most amazing season since I have been at Chelsea. It would be perfect to win all three. We are in the mood to lift the FA Cup.

"We have played and beaten them this season. We know how they play and we are really confident about that game. We know they are a difficult team to play but we can do it, this is an important game.

"We have a good chance to go to the semi-finals and we won the FA Cup last season, so we are in the mood to do the same thing again this season."

Lampard In Cup Goal Hunt

Frank Lampard is hoping he is saving his FA Cup goals this season for the latter stages of the competition.

Chelsea are well placed to defend their cup crown this year, having eased into the last eight, and face Premier League rivals Stoke in the quarter-finals on Sunday.

Lampard boasts an impressive record in the FA Cup over the course of his distinguished career, and is just nine goals short of becoming the Blues' record scorer in the competition.

The England international has, however, managed just one this season, in the 5-0 third round demolition of Watford.

He admits to being disappointed at his return this term but insists there is still plenty of opportunity for him to make his mark.

"Normally I have managed to score a few in the earlier rounds," said Lampard.

"But I would rather score them in the later rounds when they can be really important.

"The FA Cup has been really good for me. I have scored in semi-finals and of course the final (last year against Everton), and I have had a hat-trick against Macclesfield and a few twos.

"I have always enjoyed the FA Cup games. I grew up on FA Cup football so there is always a little edge to it, for us English boys particularly. Scoring goals, especially important ones, is special. And the cup final goal is very special to me."

Chelsea know they face a stern test of their credentials against Stoke in the next round, with the Potters having already dumped out Arsenal and Manchester City.

The Blues are expecting a physical approach from Tony Pulis' side at Stamford Bridge, but burly centre-half Alex is adamant that Carlo Ancelotti's men are up for the challenge.

"We have to pay attention to the second ball," said the Brazilian.

"Sometimes it is difficult to win the first one, but you have to win the second.

"You have to play very concentrated and stay compact. (Ricardo) Fuller has quality with the ball and he is a strong, strong man, so we have to play strong also and don't leave any space.

"We conceded four goals in the last game (to Manchester City), which is no good at home."

Wilkins Shows Support For Hilario

Assistant manager Ray Wilkins insists Chelsea are standing by Hilario following his role in their recent defeat to Manchester City.

The experienced Portuguese keeper was blamed for Carlos Tevez's equaliser and there were reports he could be dropped.

But while Wilkins has acknowledged Petr Cech's deputy did not have the best of games, he believes he will respond positively.

Hilario is expected to keep his place ahead of Ross Turnbull for the visit of Stoke in the FA Cup on Sunday with Cech still on the sidelines.

"He is an experienced player and he won't have a problem," said Wilkins.

"Unfortunately things didn't go quite right for him last Saturday.

"Supporters nowadays will always have a pop at the errors and as a keeper you make a ricket and you've lost a goal."

He added: "We'll play a lot worse than we did against Manchester City and win.

"We are top of the table in the first week in March - 19 other Premiership sides would sooner be in our position than their own.

"We're top of the league, playing in the quarter-finals of the cup and still in the Champions League."

John Terry Asked To Say ‘Sorry, Wayne’ In Autograph Prank

Former England captain John Terry was the victim of a prank played by autograph hunters during International week when one plucky fan asked him to sign ‘To Wayne, I’m sorry’ in an autograph book.

Terry was recently stripped of the England captaincy following revelations of an alleged affair with the ex-partner of former Chelsea team-mate Wayne Bridge; a scandal that also resulted in Bridge declaring himself unavailable for the national team.

Having taken the man’s notepad, Terry asked who he wanted it made out to, the man replied “Wayne” before adding, “can you just put ‘I’m sorry.’”

Sensing he was the victim of a gag, Terry responded by asking if he was being wound up.

However, the Chelsea defender showed his wllingness to communicate with fans - even in extremis - by finishing the autograph, reportedly writing "Best Wishes".

Ray Wilkins Optimistic Despite Michael Essien Setback

Michael Essien has suffered a setback in his recovery from a knee problem but Chelsea have contradicted reports suggesting the midfielder could miss the remainder of the season.

Essien underwent surgery on January 29 after picking up a knee injury during training with Ghana at the African Nations Cup and has not featured for Chelsea in 2010.

It is reported on Saturday morning that the injury could prevent Essien from featuring for Chelsea in the final three months of the season, putting his participation at the World Cup in real doubt.

However, Chelsea assistant manager Ray Wilkins is happy with Essien's progress and appears confident the player will be seen in a Chelsea shirt again soon.

"Michael Essien is doing well, there has been a slight complication which means it needs a couple of weeks longer but he's out [in France] with Ashley [Cole] now and they're both doing extremely well, so from that point of view we're delighted with their recovery," Wilkins said. "It's difficult to give a timescale but hopefully he'll be fit as soon as possible because when we lose players of that quality it is damning on any side."

Essien told the Accra Daily Mail: "I will be back as soon as I can. I hate being on the sidelines but at the same time I need to be patient and heal properly. Once the medical team give me the all clear you will see me doing my thing on the pitch."

Chelsea confirmed on Friday that Jose Bosingwa will miss the remainder of the season due to a knee problem while Ashley Cole is also sidelined with a broken foot and could miss the World Cup with England.

Essien Injury - Shocking News

Our midfield powerhouse - someone we've badly missed in my opinion - is set to miss the rest of the season after a serious setback in his recovery from knee surgery.

Michael remains on crutches a month after the operation and is recovering in France. Some people may say 'don't worry, our squad is big enough', but I reckon Essien has been badly missed and is one of our best players. Therefore, this update isn't good news.

A club source said: 'The news on Michael's not good. We all thought he'd be back playing again in four to six weeks.

'The second leg of the Champions League match with Inter Milan was talked about as the ideal comeback game.

'But he has no chance of making that now. We're not even sure he'll play again this season. If he does it won't be any time soon.'