The Potters aim to keep their hundred per cent win record at home by beating a high-flying Preston.
Tuesday night's action in the Carabao Cup saw Stoke cruise to victory thrashing Rotherham United 6-1. This was exactly the type of reaction Stoke fans were looking for after a disappointing loss to
Millwall last weekend.
Now back to winning ways, The Potters will face an undefeated Preston side in what is expected to be a very challenging fixture.
Here is everything you need to know about The Potters' upcoming game against The Lilywhites…
Team News
After an impressive win against Rotherham, the lineup selection has now been blown wide open.
However, there are some players that should retain their position in the starting eleven. One of
these players is Stoke City’s captain Josh Laurent who performed excellently against The Millers on
Tuesday. Scoring twice and assisting once the Stoke captain should be the first name on the team
sheet.
Stoke's midfield came under fire after it was overrun in last weekend's fixture against Millwall. With
Burger, Pearson and Laurent all performing well against Rotherham, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they
were selected again against The Lilywhites.
Despite his excellent performances so far Andre Vidigal will not be selected for this weekend's game after picking up an injury against Millwall. As a result, this could see Tyresse Campbell make his first Championship start of the season.
Campbell got off the mark against The Millers on Tuesday scoring a trademark Campbell goal.
Cutting in off the right wing and curling the ball with his left foot into the top corner. Although Campbell is without doubt one of the best finishers the club has it would be nice to see
more skills added to his game.
Too often last season did Stoke fans see Campbell collect the ball on the right and attempt to curl it with his left unsuccessfully.If Campbell can add different aspects to his game such as heading, there is no doubt that he will be a serious problem in the Championship.
Even though the midfield was solid against Rotherham new signing Bae Junho could shake things up. The 20-year-old midfielder has signed a four-year contract at the club joining from Korean side
Daejon Hanna Citizen for around 2 million euros. Standing at 5ft 9 the midfielder is by no means a physically intimidating player. However, Junho has excellent ball control being able to control the ball in tight spaces and has the flair to get himself out of difficult situations.
For someone as young as Junho he has excellent technical ability both off and on the ball with excellent vision and dribbling. The Korean looks to be a great signing for Stoke and could potentially earn his first start against The Lilywhites.
Tuesday night's action also saw a return to 4 at the back with Neil choosing the 4-2-3-1 formation.
Although Neil has mentioned in multiple interviews that he is bringing in players who allow the team to play different ways it is without a doubt that The Potters look more dominant when playing four at the back. As a result, if Neil sticks with the formation this weekend it could see players such as Rose lose their place in favour of McNally.
Predicted starting XI against Preston:
(GK) Travers, Wilmot, McNally, Hoever, Johnson, Laurent, Burger, Leris, Campbell, Mmaee
The Manager
Ryan Lowe has had a positive start to the season so far. Undefeated in the championship this season the former Plymouth Argyle manager will hope to extend that run with a win against The Potters.
Lowe's teams look to play exciting and expansive football with them looking to get up the pitch as
quickly as possible. This is done through combination play on the flanks and by playing direct
through balls into the channels.
Lowe’s sides look to create solid opportunities for themselves by playing through balls behind the
opposition's defensive line.
Source: Total Football Analysis
Opposition Player To Look Out For
Preston’s captain Alan Browne could cause trouble for The Potters. The Irish man is pivotal in
Preston's system and can play in a variety of midfield positions. Browne can play deep but can also play an advanced role. Passing is one of Browne's main attributes and with Lowe’s teams focusing heavily on playing behind defensive lines Browne could easily split Stoke's defence open with a perfect pass.
Head-to-Head
The Lilywhites were tricky opposition for The Potters last season with Stoke winning 1-0 away from
home and losing 2-0 at home. Preston has been the most successful team overall winning 50
drawing 24 and losing 37.
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