Stoke City will be hosting Crystal Palace at the bet365 Stadium for their Premier League fixture on Saturday afternoon. It is do or die for the Potters who are stacked at the second-last position of the points table, 3 points adrift of safety.
The point gap is not exactly slim since Swansea City have a game in hand and Southampton are still 2 points ahead.
Paul Lambert’s work is about to hit another difficulty level when going up against an in-form Palace squad. The visitors have won 2 in their last 3 and drew the other. They demolished Leicester City last weekend by 5 goals to nil and move all the way up to the 11th spot of the points table.
Roy Hodgson has managed to pull most of his relegation concerns on the backboard but still have a slim chance of getting eliminated. His team is 10th in the league in terms of away fixtures.
The last time these two sides met was back in late November. The tie ended 2-1 in favour of Palace. It was a highly thrilling fixture with both sides level until late into the game. Mamadou Sakho managed to score with a header in injury time to get his team only their second win of the season.
Maybe a similar story will ensue on Saturday. However, the desperation of relegation survival and home court advantage does place Stoke with better odds to win it.
Here is how Stoke might line up on gameday.
Formation: 4-4-2
Defence
Jack Butland is the predicted starter in between the sticks. The 25-year-old has averaged 4 saves this season and has 6 clean sheets.
Ryan Shawcross and Geoff Cameron might pair up in the centre-back roles. Bruno Martins Indi has been ruled out for this tie.
Kurt Zouma to start at right-back with Eric Pieters on the left.
Glen Johnson’s return is anticipated but not as a starter.
Midfield
Joe Allen and Badou Ndiaye are to resume their duties in the central midfield positions. The duo will have their defensive duties cut out for them against a packed Eagles midfield.
Xherdan Shaqiri will be stretching the floor while appearing on the right flank.
Moritz Bauer to get the nod on the left.
Ibrahim Affela’s involvement is not guaranteed due to a groin problem and Jese Rodriguez has been given permission to return to Spain.
Attack
Mame Biram Diouf and Peter Crouch are to lead the charge. They have 10 league goals between them.
