Stoke City expect double squad boost for Preston North End visit.
Stoke City welcome Preston North End on Tuesday night having claimed another point on Saturday down at QPR.
Narcis Pelach expects to have Andrew Moran back available on Tuesday for Stoke City’s welcoming of Preston North End to the Bet365 Stadium, after the loanee missed the 1-1 draw at Queens Park Rangers on Saturday. Moran was struck down with illness in the lead up to the Potters’ venture south to the capital, where they were made to settle for a point having taken the lead through Tom Cannon.
Pelach named a side which had an average age of under 23, with Ben Gibson – who unfortunately cancelled out Stoke’s lead when he diverted a QPR corner past Viktor Johansson – the only player over the age of 26. That was in part because he was unable to select midfielder Wouter Burger, who was made to serve a one-match suspension for collecting five yellow cards.
Sol Sidibe was handed his first start under the Spaniard, but Pelach will have a deeper selection pool for the Preston clash with Burger back, and with Moran expected to have recovered by then, too. Stoke will also welcome back Lynden Gooch to first-team training this coming week, and he could even make the match-day squad at some stage in their Lancashire double header against North End and then Burnley.
“We lost Andy Moran on Saturday morning very early at nine o’clock he was suffering with fever Pelach said. “He had something on Friday to be honest, but on Saturday it was still there. I think he could have, and he wanted to, play the game, which I think is a positive.
“It shows they want to play even when they’re not right, but I don’t like that – I prefer to put healthy players on the pitch. When you cannot go, another one can do it for you. We picked up another player in Sidibe, it went well and we are pleased for this as well.”
