Charlie Adam has admitted that he would rather face the so-called "big teams" in the Premier League near the start of the season.
Arsenal and Chelsea both dropped points in their first matches of the new campaign, while Stoke City came from behind to draw with Tottenham Hotspur yesterday.
The Stoke midfielder told BBC Sport: "We as a club would probably rather play the big teams early because they are not in their stride yet. It gives you a better opportunity of getting a result."
Stoke were narrowly beaten by Liverpool in their first match of the season.
