Stoke City vs. Tottenham
Venue: bet365 Stadium
Kick off: 3PM
Stoke City play host to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League this afternoon having put together an eight-match winless streak in the top flight, form which has left the club three points adrift of safety.
As for Spurs, the North London outfit will extend their advantage over fifth-placed Chelsea to 11 points if they can register victory at the bet365 Stadium.
Paul Lambert has reiterated that he has been left impressed by the performances being produced by his Stoke team and the Scot is justified in talking up the application of his players since his arrival in January.
However, Stoke have reached a point where only results matter and unless they halt a winless run which has lasted since January 20, the Potters will be playing in the Championship next season.
Stoke sit three points adrift from safety – which effectively becomes four given their goal difference – but even a point against their more illustrious opponents would be regarded as acceptable with four winnable games still to come in their remaining five fixtures.
On the other hand, the Mauricio Pochettino’s side have responded positively to being eliminated in Europe.
Three victories have been recorded in a row – all away from Wembley Stadium – and 10 goals have been scored with Harry Kane absent for much of that period due to an ankle injury.
Those wins have put Spurs in prime position to achieve at least a top-four place in the standings, they have claimed a spot in the FA Cup semi-finals and Pochettino has identified that he does not necessarily require a like-for-like replacement for Kane when he is unavailable.
Despite the club’s failure in Europe, the future remains bright for a team who are still capable of finishing as high as second position in the top flight, and confidence will be high after claiming a rare triumph away at Chelsea.
Stoke City possible XI: Butland, Johnson, Shawcross, Martins Indi, Pieters, Cameron, N’Diaye, Allen, Sobhi, Shaqiri, Crouch.
Tottenham XI: Lloris, Trippier, Sanchez, Vertonghen, Davies, Dier, Dembele, Eriksen, Alli, Son, Kane.