?Stoke City face Premier League strugglers Swansea on Saturday with all the pressure on the Swans. Mark Hughes’ men come into this fixture on the back of a 3-1 victory over 17th placed Hull City.
Stoke are not mathematically safe yet but, currently in 10th place, Premier league football next season is all but assured.
Goalkeeper
-
Grant33
Lee Grant has made the number one spot his own since Jack Butland got injured, initially he joined on loan, but a string of good performances saw his loan move turn into a permanent one from Derby County.
Defence
-
Muniesa5
-
Shawcross17
-
Martins Indi15
?Ex-Barcelona man Marc Muniesa will partner ex-Manchester United defender Ryan Shawcross and Holland international Bruno Martins Indi as Stoke’s back three.
The trio all played on Saturday when Stoke beat Hull City 3-1 and will be looking for a similar performance to strengthen their claim for a top 10 finish in the Premier League.
Midfield
-
Johnson8
-
Cameron20
-
Adam16
-
Pieters3
Glen Johnson and Erik Pieters will play as wing-backs who will provide Stoke with their width on Saturday. American Geoff Cameron and Charlie Adam both started in the middle of the park against Hull on Saturday and will do so again this Saturday.
The quartet all featured against Hull, and with the end of the season nearly upon us, Hughes will want solid performances from all of his midfielders.
Forwards
-
Shaqiri22
-
Crouch25
-
Arnautovic10
Xherdan Shaqiri and Marko Arnautovic both got on the scoresheet last Saturday to hand Hughes’s side a 3-1 win over Hull and will start on Saturday in a bid to continue their good form.
Peter Crouch also scored on Saturday, but came off the bench to do so, and could be rewarded with a starting berth against Swansea, as Saido Berahino has failed to find the back of the net in 10 appearances since he signed from West Brom for £12m in January.
admin
