Stoke City are placed at the 19th spot in the Premier League table, having collected 27 points so far from 29 outings. With the axe of relegation hovering over them, they really need to engineer some sort of resurrection in order to save themselves from getting doomed at the end of the season.
On Monday, they are due to host runaway league leaders, Manchester City at the bet365 Stadium and it goes without saying that Paul Lambert would be more than a happy man if his troops manage to bag even a single point from the game.
Team News
Mame Biram Diouf is expected to be absent for the fixture owing to his shoulder injury. Besides, Lee Grant and Stephen Ireland are also sidelined owing to their wrist and calf injury, respectively.
Here is how we expect the Potters to line-up against the Sky Blues.
Goalkeeper
Jack Butland is undoubtedly one of the finest goalkeepers in the Premier League and he is set to take his position under the bar yet again. The 25-year-old shot-stopper has notched up 5 clean sheets from 26 league appearances, making 3.12 saves per game on an average and has a tough test lying ahead of him.
Defence
Considering the type of season Stoke City are having, Kurt Zouma has been comparatively quite decent at the back and he is expected to partner Bruno Martins Indi at the heart of Lambert’s defensive line.
Moritz Bauer has been really decisive and disciplined and Lambert has the utmost faith in him. Thus, he is expected to start at right-back, with Konstantinos Stafylidis likely to be pencilled at left-back.
Midfield
Geoff Cameron is anticipated to start from the central defensive midfield slot to cushion the backline and he has to make attempts to derail Manchester City’s attacking endeavours.
Just ahead of him in the central midfield, we expect to see Joe Allen and Badou Ndiaye start. They have to remain composed while catering to their defensive duties and they also need to be aware of the opportunity to go forward to cause problems to Guardiola’s defence.
Attack
Xherdan Shaqiri is in good form for Stoke City and he would certainly be a key player in the upcoming fixture on the right-wing. The Swiss international has plundered 7 goals and has also notched up 6 assists from 27 appearances in the Premier League this season and his attacking prowess in the final third would come in handy for his employers.
Up front, we expect Peter Crouch to start in the absence of Diouf. The Englishman has to make an impact to give Stoke City a chance to find their feet in the game. Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting is likely to play on the left-wing to showcase his sound technical abilities, strength and raw pace.
Statistics Credits: WhoScored & Squawka