Stoke’s Shaqiri facing a battle to be fit for Villa clash

Adama Traore has recovered from an ankle knock and could return to first-team duty after playing 60 minutes for the Under-21 team on Monday, but Gabriel Agbonlahor is doubtful due to a calf problem.

Defender Marc Wilson looks likely to remain sidelined by a calf injury, while Mame Diouf and Ibrahim Afellay are both vying for a recall.

Geoff Cameron hopes Stoke City can gather momentum in the Premier League after getting their win of the top-flight campaign against AFC Bournemouth. “There is something missing with Villa at the moment and Stoke are a lot better than their league position suggests”.

“Villa need to take the initiative and show the same is true of them”.

Stoke kick off away to Villa at 3:00 pm.

Peter Crouch has scored in his last two top-flight starts against Aston Villa, while overall he has bagged five PL goals versus his former club (only versus Arsenal, Blackburn and Newcastle has he scored more).

He told Friday’s pre-match press conference: “I know the job comes with pressure – that’s part and parcel of it. I’ll stand up as manager and the players must stand up as players”. We’re a young group, a new group.

“I was proud how we went about it, we tried to play two different ways. We’ve got to make sure he’s all right”.

However, Stoke – who play Aston Villa this weeked – failed to win any of their first six league matches and found themselves towards the bottom of the early table. Does a win this weekend against Stoke before the global break allow us all to take a deep breath and stop worrying, or is it just plugging a hole in a dam that’s riddled with them?