Stoke v Crystal Palace - Preview and possible lineups

Stoke: 

The Potters will be without centre-back Bruno Martins Indi for their vital clash with Palace, with the Dutchman having suffered a groin strain last time out. With the exception of Martins Indi, Paul Lambert is expected to name an unchanged side from the one that drew against Liverpool at Anfield.

Maxim Choupo-Moting and Kostas Stafylidis are both close to returning, but neither will be fit in time for Saturday's game.

Crystal Palace: 

Roy Hodgson has revealed that Jason Puncheon is returning to first team training on Friday, although it is unlikely he will return to the side to face Stoke.

Connor Wickham has missed training due to a calf problem, and Scott Dann and Bakary Sako remain sidelined, but the rest of the Palace squad is fit.

Stoke boss Paul Lambert:

If Stoke lose on Saturday they could be relegated on the day, dependent on other results. Lambert knows full well that his side's only option is to win on Saturday. "It's clear for everyone we have to win on Saturday," he stated. "We will try and play as well as we have been and try to get the victory."

The Stoke manager is well aware of the magnitude of the task though. "I've been really fortunate to win the Champions League as a player and win league titles," he explained. "But keeping this club up would be up there in terms of my achievements."

Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson:

Hodgson warned his side that Stoke are going to be very up for it at the Bet 365 stadium. "We know that Stoke are going to be 100% committed in front of their home fans," he said. "They're going to be desperate to get the points."

Just like Lambert, Hodgson sees this job as one of the toughest of his career. "I'm incredibly proud of this side and my staff," he said. "When I look back on my career there will be a few achievements I'm very proud of."

Did you know?

Stoke have won just two of their nine Premier League clashes with Crystal Palace, with Palace winning six. This makes Stoke their favourite opponent in the league; they haven't beaten anyone more times than this.

Form:

Possible lineups:

Stoke: Butland; Pieters, Sobhi, Shawcross, Zouma; Bauer, Ndiaye, Allen, Shaqiri; Crouch, Diouf.

Palace: Hennessey; van Aanholt, Sakho, Tomkins, Ward; Loftus-Cheek, Milivojevic, McArthur; Zaha, Townsend.