Stoke City team news vs Sheffield Wednesday as Narcis Pelach's hand is forced
Ashley Phillips misses out through illness and Million Manhoef starts the long road to recovery from a knee injury as Stoke City take on Sheffield Wednesday.
Narcis Pelach makes three changes to his starting XI in all, with Michael Rose, Junior Tchamadeu and Wouter Burger come into the team. Bae Junho drops to the bench while Sam Gallagher and Bosun Lawal, as well as Phillips, are also named among the substitutes.
It looks like a change of formation for Stoke, with Ben Wilmot and Rose expected to line up alongside Ben Gibson in the back line, flanked by Eric Bocat and Tchamadeu. Burger joins Tatsuki Seko and Andrew Moran in midfield while Lewis Koumas will support Tom Cannon up front.
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Enda Stevens (calf), Jordan Thompson (groin) and Ben Pearson (hamstring) are in the treatment room with Manhoef.
Stoke will wear black armbands in honour of club legend George Eastham, who has died at the age of 88.
Pelach, winless in seven, said in his pre-match press conference: "We have to win more duels in the middle of the pitch. We have lost a lot in recent games and it’s not just duels but second balls as well, which relates to the physicality. Other midfields have won more than us in that area.
"I expect Bosun Lawal, when he comes back and is fit, to give us that physicality in midfield. The other day he came back and we put him at centre-back at first because it’s an easier position considering he hasn’t played football recently and didn’t do a pre-season.
"Bosun Lawal should be one of the players who bring us into this fight and winning more duels. Ben Pearson, if he comes back, is another player who can win more duels and second balls in the middle of the park because he has played a lot in the Championship and he knows what it is.
"We lost physicality with injuries and without Bosun and Ben we have been playing with midfielders who are more technical than physical. That’s why we’ve seen a little bit that we’ve won less battles."
Stoke: Johansson, Tchamadeu, Bocat, Wilmot, Rose, Gibson, Seko, Burger, Moran, Koumas, Cannon. Subs: Bonham, Gooch, Phillips, Lawal, Sidibe, Junho, Tezgel, Ennis, Gallagher.
