Read More: 'The difference' - every word from Alex Neil's pre-Bristol City press conference Read More: Bristol City set for double boost vs Stoke City but star striker is ruled out However, there is no time to dwell on previous disappointments as he prepares his side for an important fixture within the second division of English football, with both Stoke and Bristol battling it out in the bottom half of the table.
@FrostyFrosty_: Well batted Stoke. Sounds like Tezgel was on it again. @caribbeanpotter: Stoke have some cracking players who are still under 18 - Tezgel, Smith, Lowe, Griffiths. So by 2026 we'll have a great first team! Just be a bit patient lads 'n' lasses, eh? @nathphilk: Someone explain to me why Tezgel isn't getting more game time with the first 11. @Darby783: Is it time give Tezgel a good run in the team? @stokiesc: I’d start him ahead of Gayle.
Alex Neil sounds pretty sure that the table cannot stay this tight for all that much longer, saying earlier this week: “I think what it shows is that there is very little between the teams and each team beating each other regularly over the course of the season. When you think you’ve worked the Championship out it throws up another set of strange results.
They have a chance to progress to the knockout stages of the competition when they conclude their group campaign against Dinamo Zagreb at the bet365 Stadium on Wednesday, February 1 (7pm kick-off). The top two teams from each group plus the two best third-placed teams will qualify. Both scorers against PSG are still awaiting their first-team debuts, though 17-year-old Tezgel was named on the bench by manager Alex Neil in last weekend's 2-2 draw against Cardiff City as Stoke took a point from their first match back after the World Cup break. Forwards Tyrese Campbell and Liam Delap were on target for the home side.
Championship on TV: Three Yorkshire clubs set for LIVE Championship on TV: Burnley v Middlesbrough, Huddersfield Town v Watford
and West Brom v Rotherham set for LIVE broadcast at 3pm on
On Saturday, the Potters take on Bristol City at Ashton Gate, and some fans would like to see Tezgel and Lowe given a chance by Neil this season. Here's what some had to say on Twitter... @stokiestevep: There has to come a point where Emre Tezgel has to be given a chance. I appreciate he started the season injured but he is firing them in in U21s and if promoted to the 1st team his goals record simply cannot be worse than what we have had so far this season. @_ben_goodwin_: Lowe and Tezgel are just a joke aren’t they. Surely at least on of them will get some games this season.
“I stressed that to the players when we came back from the World Cup break. We know if we can put a good run together in this next batch of matches, you can put yourself in contention with the teams above you rather than below you. ” So where will he be looking to make changes and improvements next month? StokeonTrentLive has taken a look at the squad he has got at the end of 2022 and tried to predict what positions might be prioritised. GOALKEEPERS England under-21s keeper Joe Bursik was promoted to number one in the summer but hasn't been trusted to keep the gloves.
Phil Bardsley's first words as ex-Burnley man signs for Stockport and makes generous gesture He has been recovering from injury and has been training with Stockport to
help his fitness. And the former Manchester United and Stoke City
READ MORE: Alex Neil sends clear 'no excuses' message to his Stoke City players READ MORE: Shotton still baffled by Pulis decision over Pennant “I do think, though, that there will be a break-off probably from this point onwards and the better teams will start to take off. I think the teams that will struggle will start to detach. It always happens in a season. I think these next 10 games are going to be vital for that.
Neil has always spoken positively about his keepers in public but it would be a surprise if he wasn't keen to bring in one that the defence could hang their hats on, a Lee Grant or Mark Crossley-type who would give so much extra confidence to players and supporters. A quick look in the bottom half of the Premier League would see keepers such as Daniel Iversen (Leicester), Alex McCarthy (Southampton) and Matija Sarkic (Wolves) among the prime candidates for a move. Goalkeepers: Jack Bonham, Joe Bursik, Frankie Fielding. DEFENCE This could be the deal or big gamble that makes or breaks Stoke's season.
Central midfielders: Lewis Baker, Josh Laurent, Jordan Thompson, Gavin Kilkenny, Will Smallbone, Sam Clucas, Nick Powell Attacking midfielders: Nick Powell, D'Margio Wright-Phillips UP FRONT Neil has hinted that he would like the option of extra wingers to give him more variety in attack. At the moment, he only has Tariqe Fosu - and he hasn't featured much recently. Liam Delap, Tyrese Campbell and Jacob Brown have had three pretty encouraging games as a strike department and scored as many goals between them (five) as they had done in the 22 before the World Cup. A striker who could really hold up the ball well, like former Stoke target Keinan Davis did for Nottingham Forest so well last season, would arguably make the biggest difference.
Stoke City injury news vs Burnley as Alex Neil hopes to welcome back player Alex Neil hopes to have at least one of Josh Laurent or Dwight Gayle back
fit when Stoke City host Burnley under the bet365 Stadium
Jordan Thompson, when fit, has been tasked with the anchor role in his absence and has shown himself to be a useful squad player. Captain Lewis Baker has made a decent contribution in terms of assists and goals but hasn't been able to impact as many games as is needed. Will Smallbone gives the team a lot of running and can nick the ball back in useful areas. He can play some nice passes in the final third too but clearly needs to add more power to his game. Neil has pointed out that he is still only 22 and this is his first real taste of men's football. Gavin Kilkenny hasn't been used by Neil yet, partly due to injury, while Nick Powell has barely figured through the whole year and is out of contract in the summer.
Stoke City team news as Alex Neil names starting line-up to face Bristol CityAlex Neil has named his Stoke City line-up to face Bristol City this afternoon ahead of their clash at Ashton Gate. The Potters will be eager to right the wrongs from their first fixture back in the Championship following the mid-season break for the World Cup, after squandering their 2-1 lead against Cardiff City to draw 2-2 last weekend. Neil cited poor decision making from the match officials as well as a certain level of naivety from his players as the reason behind the dropped points.
Alex Neil receives Stoke City striker instruction after PSG winStoke City prospects Emre Tezgel and Nathan Lowe further enhanced their growing reputations by firing the Under-21s to victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the Premier League International Cup. Tezgel scored twice and attacking partner Nathan Lowe was also on target at the young Potters recorded an impressive 3-1 win at the bet365 Stadium on Wednesday.
Aden Flint hasn't been favoured. Morgan Fox had seemed on the way out in the summer but is now a regular and Ben Wilmot has been used in a back three and four. It would be a risk to go into the rest of the season without a top rated centre-back. Ryan Porteous has been linked and looks like he is on his way out of Hibs. Loanees Harry Clarke and Dujon Sterling have both shown they can be useful in the Championship at right wing-back but they have only started seven games each. Josh Tymon has missed a lot too but that should hopefully be an anomaly.
Goalkeeper and midfielder Stoke City transfer priorities in pivotal January What is the number that Stoke must have in mind that would be too big to
turn down? Pretty much anyone who has watched the Championship
Goalkeeper and midfielder Stoke City transfer priorities in pivotal JanuaryIt is a remarkable Championship season that Norwich City can be fifth after 24 games but closer to the bottom three than the top two. Stoke City are down in 17th but only five points from both the top six and the relegation zone. In other words, it is all to play for in a division where so little separates the sides underneath Burnley and Sheffield United. Keeping your best players fit and bringing in more game-changers in the January transfer window might go a long way to dictating whether Stoke will close the gap going up or down.
Will a Premier League team come calling for Harry Souttar and how much will they offer? What is the number that Stoke must have in mind that would be too big to turn down? Pretty much anyone who has watched the Championship would think they could fashion a whole promotion-challenging team for a fraction of the £46m spent in Gary Rowett's summer in charge, for example, but it can do a lot of damage in the wrong hands. If Souttar stays, great. He is one of the best players in the Championship and makes an incredible difference to the Stoke spine. If Souttar goes, Stoke will have to be smart in how they replace him. Neil hasn't trusted Connor Taylor with a run of games and Phil Jagielka, although one of the side's most consistent performers, will need a contingency plan considering he's 40.
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His cameo appearances in his latest return to fitness have not been inspiring and he will know he can and should be offering a lot more. Sam Clucas is likely to be out until February with a back problem and D'Margio Wright-Phillips and Tom Sparrow probably deserve a loan. Neil could do with a central midfielder who actively wants the ball and knows how to handle it, the most obvious example being someone like Ben Pearson, who did that job for him so well (and annoyingly, at times, for the opposition) during their time together at Preston North End.
Kevin Russell’s side have now taken six points from three Group C fixtures. Tezgel opened the scoring early in the second half, firing low into the bottom corner, and Lowe doubled the lead with a powerful strike in the 68th minute. Tezgel then rounded things off with his second of the match in the closing stages after PSG had been unable to deal with a Ben Kershaw free kick. READ MORE: Stoke City held by Cardiff as familiar failing raises its head again SEE ALSO: Jordan Thompson makes 'frustrating' Stoke City admission following Cardiff draw Stoke are now third in the table after a 5-1 defeat to Braga and 2-0 win over Hertha Berlin.
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Stoke City v Burnley: How to watch on TV, live stream Burnley are back on the road as they continue their busy Championship
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