Stoke City will bounce back in Capital One Cup against Chelsea – Mark Hughes

‘The game against Chelsea is perfect for us,’ said the Stoke City manager Mark Hughes. ‘We will be better on Tuesday.’ P Mark Hughes feels Tuesday’s Capital One Cup tie with Chelsea provides the perfect opportunity for his Stoke City side to bounce back from their defeat by Watford. Stoke were on a high as they welcomed Watford to the Britannia Stadium on Saturday, looking for a fourth straight Premier League win in Hughes’s 100th game in charge in all competitions. But their bubble was burst after goals from Troy Deeney and Almen Abdi, one in each half. Stoke now move on to a home cup tie against a Chelsea side around whom the sense of crisis deepened with Saturday’s 2-1 loss at West Ham United. Looking towards Tuesday’s game, Hughes said: “The performance against Watford was not one I recognised, to be perfectly honest. But the good thing is that we have a big game on Tuesday against Chelsea, and that is the perfect game for us. We can get back on track. We’ll be better on Tuesday.” Hughes had signalled before the Watford contest that Stoke’s captain, Ryan Shawcross – yet to feature for the first team this season after summer back surgery – would be likely to make his return to action against Chelsea. After the defeat, the manager admitted the poor efforts of some of his players on Saturday has made him contemplate making various changes for Tuesday. “Ryan was in my thoughts for Tuesday anyway,” Hughes said. “But obviously, given some of the performances against Watford, maybe other players come into my thinking as well.” Troy Deeney rewards Quique Sánchez Flores’s faith to end Stoke run Read more While critical of his own side’s exploits in Saturday’s match, Hughes was also keen to praise Quique Sánchez Flores’s energetic, well-organised Watford side. “They are disciplined, athletic at the back and can get around the pitch,” said Hughes, whose team have won only one of five home games this season. “We didn’t have enough on the field to really affect that. It doesn’t happen very often here and I don’t anticipate it will in the future.” Watford have made a creditable start to life back in the top flight after their promotion last season, with the win at Stoke giving them 13 points – one more than their hosts – from 10 games. Flores said: “I am very happy. This is the first quarter and the moment to make a report maybe. The amount of points is OK – I think to have 13 points is very nice for Watford. But the most important thing is the way in which we got these points. We feel competitive, which is very important for the future.”