Written by @deportivohammer

Well it seems everyone was quite happy with our point against high flying Everton, and yes I was very pleased with how we defended. But as in a lot of our games we seemed a bit toothless in attack.  The sooner the summer rolls round a we buy a new striker the happier everyone will be.  Carroll I really like but it´s so frustrating to see him on the sidelines every other game.  Sakho I often forget about as he in injured so often.  Calleri just isn´t very good and Fletcher is collecting splinters.   But onto Stoke…

Stoke City are one of the more irrelevant teams in the Premiership along with West Brom and a few others I have no love for them and never really enjoy fixtures against them.  They have 39 points and have been struggling for form of late with only 1 win in their last 6.  It seems they feel they have done enough for this year and are planning their holidays.

West Ham of course have no plans for holidays just yet and are working hard to finish as high up the league as possible.  ( I hope) After last weekends point we stand 14th in the league just 1 point behind our opponents.  Not yet mathematically safe from relegation but edging closer every weekend.  A top half finish is still a possibility and as the guys mentioned on the radio show each position in the league is worth a lot of money so we should be doing our utmost to achieve this.

Jon Walters seems to be the only injury concern for Mark Hughes as they seek to stop their recent slump.  Recent signing Saido Berahino has not managed a goal for Stoke yet and has been 24 games since he last found the net. Maybe he has just been waiting for us to get going at his new club.

West Ham on the other hand have a long as always injury list Tore, Ogbonna, Obiang and Antonio are out for the season.  Carroll looks set to miss out again and there are doubts about Sakho, Masuaku, Reid and of course Sakho.  But Captain Mark Noble returns from suspension as has Sam Byram.  Snodgrass and Feghouli should also return to the squad.

Predicted Line ups :

Stoke City : Butland, Johnson, Shawcross, Martins Indi, Pieters, Allen, Cameron, Diouf, Shaqiri, Arnautovic, Berinho.

West Ham United : Adrian, Fernandes, Collins, Kouyate, Fonte, Masuaku, Noble, Nordtveit, Lanzini, Ayew, Calleri.

Likely Subs:  Randolph, Byram, Snodgrass, Feghouli, , Fletcher, Cresswell, Sakho (has withdrawn with a back injury)

I don´t expect Slaven to change much from the Everton game.  By all accounts Reid has not recovered from a tight hamstring in the last game following a challenge from Davies and drops down to the bench.  Even with the change at the back I fancy us to win today stealing a 1-0 win with our goal coming from someone on the bench at the death.  We are not in great form but neither are they.  I don´t expect it to be a classic either.

Deportivo hammer