Stoke City are set to host Southampton this weekend. The Potters failed to continue their initial momentum at the BET365 Stadium. Stoke City have an interesting line of attackers who can pile misery on Mauricio Pellegrino’s men.
Southampton haven’t scored enough goals this season and keeping that in mind, it shouldn’t be a problem for the Potters. Stoke have been pretty decent in terms of their performance and it could decide the course of their future.
Hughes has a number of problem in this match and might be forced to tweak his strategy a bit as a number of players are unavailable due to injuries
Predicted 3-4-3 Stoke City Starting Lineup Against Southampton
Defence
Jack Butland will be on goal. Until the Chelsea match, they had a pretty good record at their home as they snatched points from Arsenal and Manchester United. If they are to grab a point against the Saints the English international will have to be at the top of his form.
Mark Hughes is likely to go with a three-man backline in this match. But he has very limited options at his disposal right now. A number of his defenders are currently sidelined with injuries and the former Manchester United player has a real selection headache for this match.
Kurt Zouma. Eric Pieters and Glen Johnson are expected to be the three defenders.
Midfield
Stoke City are still working on their midfield combination. Darren Fletcher has settled in pretty well and should start in the middle of the pitch. The 33-year-old will have the responsibility to steer the midfield.
Joe Allen will be his partner in the middle. The Wales international has been pretty consistent and will be in the thick of things.
Ramadan Sobhi should start in the left wingback position. The 20-year-old has been pretty encouraging with his impact from the wider position and will be responsible for all the attacks.
Hughes has been using Mame Diouf in an uncanny right wingback position and he is expected to start in this match.
Attack
Southampton have displayed a very disciplinary defensive record in this season and Jese will be aware of that. The former Real Madrid man will be stationed on the left wing.
If Xherdan Shaqiri is on song, he can create havoc in the opposition ranks. Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting will lead the attack.
Here is how they might line up:
