Stoke City v Cardiff: Mark Hughes expects response following hammering by Everton

The Potters were beaten 4-0 on their last outing

Mark Hughes believes his Stoke side have enough talent to mount a realistic Capital One Cup assault (GETTY IMAGES)

Stoke boss Mark Hughes expects his side to react in the right way to their hammering by Everton when Cardiff visit the Britannia Stadium on Wednesday night.

The Potters went into Saturday's game at Goodison Park in good spirits after ending a run of eight Barclays Premier League games without a win against Sunderland a week earlier.

But they were soundly beaten 4-0, with the timing of the first two goals just before and after half-time proving a crushing blow.

Hughes said: "We'll get a response on Wednesday. It's a key game for us, a big opportunity to get more points on the board and we're looking forward to it.

"We've had a good reaction. They were a little bit quiet on Monday but that's understandable because we were disappointed. They've trained well the last couple of days and now the key is that we pick ourselves up and getting going again.

"We were on a nice little run, we were four games unbeaten and were looking to continue that, but the onus now is on us to go on another run and make sure we continue to be strong at home.

"We played well against Sunderland and we need to do the same against Cardiff. Cardiff are a hard-working side who will make it difficult for you, will always run and chase everything so we'll have to match that.

"But if we do that, given we're the home side, I think we've got more that enough to take it away from them."

It is an important game for both sides, who sit locked together on 13 points just above the relegation zone.

Cardiff have caught the eye during their first Premier League season with some impressive home performances, beating Manchester City and drawing with Manchester United, but their only away win came at Fulham.

Hughes said: "At home they're really, really strong and have put in some fantastic performances. Away from home maybe they haven't been able to replicate that but it is difficult to go away from home and get points on the board, as we know ourselves.

"They'll view probably this game as an opportunity for themselves but we view the game in the same manner for ourselves."

Hughes must decide whether to stick with Marc Muniesa, who made his Premier League debut at Goodison Park in place of the injured Robert Huth in central defence.

Stoke were relieved exploratory surgery showed Huth could be back in three to four weeks, but that still means he is likely to miss between six and eight games.

Hughes said of Muniesa: "Marc certainly wasn't the reason we got beaten, I thought he was one of our better performers in the back four. We just need to be a little bit better collectively."

PA