FOOTBALL UPDATE

Stoke City have signed Austria defender Moritz Bauer.  The right-back joins the managerless Potters on a four-and-a-half-year contract, signing for an undisclosed fee from Russian club Rubin Kazan. Stoke sacked Mark Hughes on Saturday following their 2-1 FA Cup defeat at the hands of League Two Coventry City after a poor run that had left the club 18th in the Premier League. "Moritz is a player we have been trailing for some time and was someone Mark Hughes wanted to bring into the club," chief executive Tony Scholes said. "Moritz came over to England last week to undergo his medical and discuss terms and we have now been able to conclude his transfer."

Chelsea demonstrated the yawning chasm in squad depth that exists in the Premier League with a 5-0 canter past Stoke City at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. While both sides rotated their squads after a hectic series of fixtures, Chelsea maintained their quality on the pitch in a scintillating opening half-hour, racing into a 3-0 lead and effectively winning the match through goals from Antonio Rudiger, Danny Drinkwater and Pedro. A late Willian penalty and a fine individual effort from Davide Zappacosta completed the scoring in a game that had long since ceased to be a contest. By contrast, Stoke's team selection suggested manager Mark Hughes was prioritising Monday's New Year's Day game at home to fellow strugglers Newcastle United. Teenage full-backs Tom Edwards and Josh Tymon both started while influential midfielders Joe Allen and Xherdan Shaqiri were named as substitutes. It took just two minutes and 35 seconds for Stoke's makeshift side to be exposed. Will...

We take a look ahead to today Premier League game between Chelsea and Stoke at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea:  'Blues' boss Antonio Conte has no fresh injury concerns ahead of the game, but may make changes to freshen up his squad ahead of the trip to Arsenal on Wednesday. Defender Andreas Christen could return to the starting lineup after missing the win over Brighton on Boxing Day due to illness. David Luiz and Charly Musona both remain unavailable with knee and gorin injuries respectively, but both are closing in on a return to action.   Stoke:  Mark Hughes is facing a defensive crisis ahead of the game, with Ryan Sawcross (calf), Bruno Martins Indi (groin) and Glen Johnson (knee) all injured, whilst Kurt Zouma is ineligible against his parent club. They could be boosted by the return of Erik Pieters, who has missed their last two games through injury.   Possible lineups: Chelsea:  Courtois, Azpilicueta, Christensen, Cahill, Zappacosta, Bakayoko,...