If Stoke City and Paul Lambert are to get out of their nightmare position, wins need to come now. A home game against a Burnley team who are flying might not sound like the best place to start, though. Can the Potters overcome the Clarets?
Home News
For the home side, they’ll be reliant upon breaking a lasting run of negative form. Stoke have lost four of their last five. Their latest point, too, came in negative circumstances: a 90th-minute Andy Carroll equaliser for West Ham.
With Stoke reliant on the form of Kurt Zouma and Ryan Shawcross to try keep out a powerful Burnley side, it’ll be interesting to see how they handle the match-up. Usually a side who can mix it with the larger teams in the league, Stoke might feel a little outmuscled in this one.
If they are to get anything here, they’ll be reliant upon Peter Crouch’ reliability up front to get them out of a hole.
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Away News
Burnley, meanwhile, are in fantastic form. Recent big wins have propelled them up the league, with five wins on the spin before Thursday's loss to Chelsea. The Clarets had hit a rough patch under Sean Dyche in early 2018, but have recovered in tremendous style.
European football remains on the agenda. They’ll be looking to James Tarkowsi and Ben Mee to keep the major Stoke threat of Crouch quiet. Mee is a reliable centre-back, with extra height bought in to the defence for that added touch of durability at the back.
Match-up to watch
How Tarkowski handles Crouch feels like a key part of this match. Stoke play off Crouch to the point of excess, and it will be interesting to see how Burnley try to nullify him. At 37, they’d be looking for the backline to marshal the veteran strike en route to three points.
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