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Tony Pulis will be hoping his new look Stoke City side can prove that they are ready to step up to the next level when the face Chelsea on Saturday.
Matthew Upson and Jonathan Woodgate have both joined the side as free agents, and will be valuable additions to the team’s defensive ranks.
Chelsea, meanwhile, will want to prove that they are a genuine threat to Manchester United in the title race.
All eyes will be on their new manager, Andre Villa-Boas who arrived from Porto in the summer.
He too, has been busy in the transfer window with Romelu Lukaku one of the new players for Chelsea fans to see.
Since Stoke’s promotion to the Premier League, Chelsea have dominated this particular fixture, winning six out of seven, including a 7-0 victory at Stamford Bridge in 2010.
Overall, however, Stoke have had more of an even share of results, losing just 38 of the 85 meetings between the sides.
And in Stoke, their record has been even better. Out of 43 matches, they have won 18, lost 16 and drawn 9.
The Potters ended a worrying run of defeats against Chelsea with a 1-1 draw at the Britannia Stadium back in April.
Stoke’s recent record against Chelsea, though, means Bet365 are unsurprisingly making Chelsea odds on favourites at 4/6.
A Stoke win is available at 9/2, while the draw is priced at odds of 13/5.
Since their 7-0 defeat to Chelsea, Stoke have come a long way, with a repeat of that result unlikely. Bet365 are offering 500/1 for that to happen again.
Fernando Torres may be considered a doubt to start the game, but Bet365 still make him favourite to open the scoring at odds of 9/2.
Europa League hero, Jon Walters is available at 10/1 to be the first goal scorer, with Jonathon Woodgate a tempting 50/1 to mark his debut with the opener.
Woodgate is part of a strong looking new Stoke backline, so for them to hold out for the 0-0 draw, odds of 9/1 are available.
Chelsea started their last campaign with a 6-0 thrashing of West Bromwich Albion, for them to do that again, Bet365 are offering 125/1.
At the same time, Stoke started their Premier League season with a 2-1 defeat to Wolves. That would not appear unlikely to happen again, and would be a shrewd bet at 15/2.
The game kicks off at 1.30pm on Sunday.
As for the rest of the Premier League, the only game off following the London riots is Tottenham v Everton.
