With Stoke yet to earn three points in a match so far this season, the visit of high-flying Leicester City would be the last thing they wanted. The Potters suffered a 2-0 defeat last weekend at the hands of Arsenal, compared to the Foxes earning a thrilling comeback from 2-0 down against Aston Villa to take the win.
Players to keep an eye on
23-year-old Xherdan Shaqiri is yet to make a huge impact despite the attention surrounding his move to the club, scoring no goals and only making one assist. Perhaps now he has had time to settle, however, he may come good against Leicester now their position in the table is beginning to worry some of their fans.
Mark Hughes said in his pre-match press conference that he believes Bojan can a 'game-changer', and the Spaniard will be looking forward to facing a Leicester side he scored the winning goal against in the reverse fixture last season in a 1-0 win.
Stoke fans should take some pride in Maram Biram Diouf being the fourth fastest Premier League player so far this season. However, Foxes fans have perhaps beaten that, with Jamie Vardy, Jeffrey Schlupp and Marc Albrighton taking first, second and third respectively - something the Stoke defense will struggle to contain, especially with Riyad Mahrez thrown in for good measure.
Mahrez was in fine form yet again last weekend, as was Danny Drinkwater. Drinkwater has been in consistent form this season, and most likely being paired with N'Golo Kante in the centre of the park, he may want to push forward and grab his first goal of the season.
Robert Huth has been an inspiring signing for Leicester returning to the Britannia Stadium, making his 20th appearance for the Foxes. His side are yet to earn a clean sheet this campaign, and with Claudio Ranieri offering the team the added incentive of a pizza for not conceding a goal, Leicester's priority could be to return home without having picked the ball out of their own net.
What can we expect from the game?
Leicester's pace and intensity has caught teams out and has put them in a comfortable second place. However, Stoke are known to be a side which does not lie down easily, so the Foxes could be up against a water-tight defence.
Stoke, on the other hand, may be shy in front of goal without a win to their name, so it is likely it will be a cagey encounter with not too many chances for either side.
