Potters should crack toothless Boro

Premier League
3pm Saturday

Mark Hughes could barely conceal his anger after watching his Stoke side lose 4-0 at Tottenham last weekend but he can get a positive reaction from his players against Middlesbrough.

The game holds greater importance for Boro, who have not won in the league since December and are teetering just above the drop zone.

But Stoke will have been worked hard in training this week and are likely to continue their strong performance (27 points from 13 games) against the bottom half-teams.

Recommendation
Stoke
1pt 19-20 general

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Team news
Stoke
Xherdan Shaqiri (calf) returned to training on Friday but is a major doubt. Jonathan Walters and Glen Johnson are available after layoffs.

Middlesbrough
Antonio Barragan (hamstring) and George Friend (calf and knee) are back in the squad but Calum Chambers (foot) is out.

Key stat
Stoke have won eight of their 13 games against the teams below them.