Stoke City boss Mark Hughes has revealed that his side will be looking to take advantage of Jose Mourinho's absence from the dugout in their clash against Chelsea.
The Portuguese will serve a one-match stadium ban as a result of his rant against referee Jon Moss at half time in his side's defeat to West Ham United.
Hughes has admitted that the Blues may miss the presence of the 52-year-old from the sideline, but he is also wary that the absence could have the opposite effect on Chelsea's form.
He told reporters: "Jose's had any number of run-ins this year, maybe he's just a little bit tired of trying to argue his case. I think Jose's got a little bit of a gripe with the powers that be and maybe they're coming down really hard on him at the moment.
"I'm not quite sure of the full details of why he is banned but obviously that may well impact negatively on the team, or it might be a positive. It's a tough one to call from our point of view whether it's a good thing or a bad thing.
"You would think without his influence at half-time or just prior to the game, that would take something away. But it's always good to see Jose in the dugout opposite and I know our crowd enjoy seeing opposition managers and that gets them going."
Stoke face Chelsea at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday night.
Simon Sinclair
