Stoke City vs Tottenham: Preview & Prediction

After a shaky start to the new campaign, it doesn’t get much easier for Mark Hughes and his Stoke City side, as they entertain a strong Tottenham team under the guidance of Mauricio Pochettino, who will be looking to expand upon their third-place finish last season.

Coming off the back of a 1-0 defeat to Everton, the Potters will be desperate to improve their league form in order to catapult them from the foot of the table.

Stoke will be buoyed by their new addition up front in the form of Manchester City loanee Wilfried Bony, who could prove to be a shrewd acquisition in the Premier League after his proven track-record in English football as goals will be more important than ever in a Potters team that were previously light in attacking options.

Spurs, on the other hand, will be hopeful that they can continue their surge up the table with another three points at the Bet365 Stadium this afternoon.

After being held at home to fellow Champions League chasers Liverpool, Tottenham will be keen to make a good start at a traditionally tough away ground.

Their new signing of Moussa Sissoko will no doubt boost the squad’s already impressive array of talent and add much needed pace and strength in the midfield areas to provide an alternative physical dimension to Tottenham’s style of play.

Manager Pochettino will be glad his side have escaped from the international break with no major injury concerns and will now look ahead to the upcoming challenges.

The Potters have brought in Ivory Coast striker Bony on a season-long loan from Man City – Photo: Simon Stacpoole / Offside.

Team News:

Ibrahim Afellay, Jack Butland, Stephen Ireland and Glen Johnson are all out of this weekend’s fixture for the Potters, while Xherdan Shaqiri is also a doubt.

With regard to Tottenham, Hugo Lloris and Son are both carrying knocks, while Mousa Dembele is still serving a ban.

League Positions: Stoke City – 20th (1pt); Tottenham – 7th (5pts)
Last Meeting: Stoke 0-4 Tottenham – (April 16, 2016)
Form: Stoke – WDLWL; Tottenham – LLDWD
Key Men: Stoke – Wilfried Bony; Tottenham – Harry Kane
Shoot Says: Stoke 1-1 Tottenham