Squad sheets: Stoke City v Chelsea

A team facing a period of transition cannot have wished for a trip to the Britannia Stadium in the first weekend of the season. The visitors take on last season's FA Cup finalists and the new Chelsea manager, Andre Villas-Boas, faces a particularly British sort of occasion. The larger issue for the visitors is the further regeneration of an ageing squad that is starting to creak a little. Stoke, for their part, are ready and settled – Tony Pulis's team beat Hajduk Split 1-0 both home and away in the Europa League qualifiers. Kevin McCarra Venue Britannia Stadium, Sunday 1.30pm Tickets Sold out Last season Stoke 1 Chelsea 1 Referee Mark Halsey This season's matches 21 Y 39, R 1, 1.90 cards per game Odds Stoke 5-1 Chelsea 7-10 Stoke Subs from Sorensen, Collins, Pugh, Diao, Whitehead, Shotton, Arismendi, Marshall, Lund, Soares, Tonge Doubtful Delap (hamstring), Etherington (rib) Injured Upson (match fitness, 20 Aug), Fuller (achilles, Sep), Higginbotham (knee, Sep), Sidibe (ankle, unknown) Suspended None Disciplinary record (last season) Y69 R2 Leading scorer (last season) Jones 9 Chelsea Subs from Hilário, Turnbull, Bertrand, Van Aanholt, Ivanovic, Ferreira, Torres, McEachran, Anelka, Benayoun, Kakuta Doubtful Ivanovic (calf), Lampard (throat), Torres (concussion) Injured David Luiz (thigh, 20 Aug), Essien (knee, Feb) Suspended Sturridge (first of three) Unavailable Romeu (international duty) Disciplinary record (last season) Y59 R1 Leading scorer (last season) Malouda 13 Match pointers • Stoke have beaten Chelsea only once in any competition since April 1975 – 1-0 in the League Cup in October 1995 • Chelsea have won their last nine opening-day fixtures, the longest such run since the Premier League began • Stoke scored 30% of their goals in the final 15 minutes of matches last season, the highest proportion in the top flight • If selected, Matthew Etherington will be playing on his 30th birthday • Chelsea won more corners (257) than any other side in the division in 2010-11