Seeley’s Selections – Stoke v Chelsea

HO, HO, HO. There you go I’m getting into the CHRISTMAS mood, but those boys and girls at BoyleSports aren’t in the festive spirit when we are looking at the prices on Monday night’s clash between Stoke and Chelsea at the Britannia Stadium.

Chelsea are just 8/13 with BoyleSports to win away from home in and although I do think they will win, I really can’t get involved in those miserly prices.

I don’t like odds-on aways at the best of times, but at this time of year where every penny counts there are much better ways to play.

Last season Stoke produced a shock 3-2 win and many will look at the 11/2 available with BoyleSports on former Chelsea striker Mark Hughes side and want to get involved or maybe on the 50/1 on a repeat score-line. Keep you money in your pocket.

Last seasons win was their first in the last 10 and their previous victory at home against the Londoners was way back in 1975.

The additions Jose Mourinho brought into Stamford Bridge in the summer were brought in for games exactly like this, in last years defeat they were bullied out of it by the much more physical home side but now with Diego Costa leading the Chelsea attack this is going to a very different story.

Costa will relish this physical challenge and my first bet is the 10/3 with BoyleSports on the Spanish striker to open the scoring on Monday night and go a step closer to ending the year as the top marksman in the Premier League.

When, hopefully he does score the first goal and hopefully inside the opening 20 minutes to land BoyleSports “Double Bubble” offer, where they double the odds on winning first goalscorer bets if your selection scores inside the opening 20 minutes, that could be all we see in the way of goals.

I can see Mourinho playing a team here to do a professional job with a 1-0 or a 2-0 win and then get back to the capital with another three points in the bag.

The goals flew in Stoke’s last home game in a 3-2 win against Arsenal but this is Chelsea and in their last five Premier League matches they have kept four clean sheets.

If pushed I would favour a 1-0 away win at BoyleSports 5/1, but I really can’t see any goal for the home side and probably the best way to have a wager is on BoyleSports 29/20 on Mourinho’s men to win to nil yet again.

In six of the last nine visits to the Potteries Chelsea have won to nil and that does look the better way to back them in this one rather than those odds-on quotes.

Seeley’s Selections
Chelsea To Win To Nil @ 29/20
Chelsea To Win 1-0 @ 5/1