Stoke City: Norwich City’s Borja Sainz could have a field day v Narcis Pelach stand-in – View.
Stoke City face a stern test this weekend as Norwich City travel to the bet365 Stadium for a Championship clash, and a battle between two players likely to start up against each other will be key to which team comes out on top.
The Potters have been tighter at the back in recent weeks, especially since Narcis Pelach settled in properly as head-coach at the bet365 Stadium, with just one goal conceded in their last two games.
Stoke’s Spanish boss has made some adjustments to their backline from his predecessor Steven Schumacher’s usual starting XI, notably Ben Wilmot starting the last two outings at right-back ahead of Junior Tchamadeu, and it has been no coincidence that his inclusion has contributed to a less leaky defence.
Pelach should have a very good idea of the threat the Canaries pose as they visit the Potteries, after he spent a year as a coach at the club under both David Wagner and current boss Johannes Hoff Thorup, before he was headhunted by Stoke to be their main man last month.
He will need no introduction, then, to Norwich winger Borja Sainz, who has taken the Championship by storm this season, and will have to be kept quiet by Wilmot if Stoke are to take anything from the game on Saturday.
Borja Sainz has been a standout so far this season
Borja Sainz
Left-winger Sainz joined Norwich last summer from Turkish side Giresunspor after a decent season in the Süper Lig, and he did well in his first season at Carrow Road with six goals and two assists in 35 Championship appearances, but he has stepped up this term to become their star man after the departure of Gabriel Sara.
He netted three goals in his first six games of the new season, including a winner against Coventry City, but the last month has seen him really standout in the second-tier, so much so that he won the EFL’s Championship Player of the Month award for September for his impressive performances.
The 23-year-old bagged another goal in a big win over Watford, and then followed that up with a hat-trick at Derby County to single-handedly earn the Canaries a victory as they emerged 3-2 victors at Pride Park.
