On Saturday Stoke City take on Crystal Palace at the Bet 365 Stadium and there can really be no other outcome but a win for the Potters if they want to have any chance of remaining in the top flight.
We have heard for weeks that every game Stoke have played has been the most important in ten years yet each time the team has let the victory get away. this really is the last chance, quite simply they need to beat Palace and Swansea next week and hope that other results go their way.
It would be a sad way to end the last ten years in the top league should things go wrong, but the writing was on the wall at the end of last season and nothing was done about it. But this isn’t the right time to start asking questions about the board and what they have or have not done, there will be a whole summer for that no matter which division they end up in.
All we can do now is get right behind the lads on Saturday and hope for the best, we know they are capable of winning the game, we must believe.
As far as the team news goes for the Potters, they will be without Bruno Martins Indi, he picked up a knock in the game at Anfield last weekend and will not be fit in time for this one, although manager Paul Lambert has said that he is likely to be available for the game with Swansea next week.
Eric Maxim Choupo Moting will be kept out of the side with a groin injury, Konstantinos Stafylidis still has a rib problem and Jese has gone back.
Glen Johnson stands a chance but he is to be assessed just before the game.
Crystal Palace look set to be unchanged from the side that has done so well in the last four games, Jason Puncheon is back on the training field after suffering a knock to the knee, also getting near comebacks are Bakary Sako and Connor Wickham they are progressing well.
Xherdan Shaqiri spoke ahead of Saturday’s game, telling the clubs official website “There is no other option now, we simply have to win both matches, starting against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
“We are calm and collected, we are looking forward to this and we are going to go out there, with the fans behind us and get the results we need.”
Its ten
years ago since Pottermouth produced his inspiring battle cry for Stoke, something like that is needed again for this game.
