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It’s a big game for…
HUGO LLORIS: Having played his first 90 minutes since the end of last season for Tottenham Hotspur’s Under-21 side on Monday, Spurs’ shot-stopper has put himself in contention to face Stoke.
If he were to start on Saturday, Lloris will have to deal with the physical style of football that the Potters bring to the table through set pieces. Saturday could prove a potentially disastrous introduction back into first team football for the France captain.
Best stat…
47: The amount of headed goals that former Tottenham Hotspur and current Stoke City striker Peter Crouch has scored in the Premier League. Crouch could add to his record 47 headed goals if the Potters choose to challenge Hugo Lloris, who could make a return from injury on Saturday, in the air.
Show all 17 1 /17Premier League Power Rankings - Game Week 2 Premier League Power Rankings - Game Week 2 17) Callum Wilson (Bournemouth) – down 11 from last week There was a lot of optimism on the South Coast ahead of the club’s first ever match in the top flight, but Aston Villa did well to dampen the occasion before nicking a 1-0 win. Wilson is still the main man for the Cherries, but Bournemouth’s survival probably won’t be decided by a trip to Anfield, where they play Monday night.
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Premier League Power Rankings - Game Week 2 16) Moussa Sissoko (Newcastle) – down 3 The powerful midfielder remains Newcastle’s Jack-of-all-trades, setting the tone in attack and defence with his athleticism, work rate and drive from midfield. He will have to be at his best if the Toon are to get past a well set up Swansea side.
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Premier League Power Rankings - Game Week 2 15) Romelu Lukaku (Everton) – non-mover Laid on the late equaliser for Arouna Kone but Toffees fans will be disappointed that their £28m man didn’t do more against newly-promoted Watford, with the Belgian barely touching the ball in the first half. He must do more against a Southampton defence that is still learning to play together.
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Premier League Power Rankings - Game Week 2 14) Riyad Mahrez (Leicester City) – new entry A brilliant solo performance from the Algerian who scored two goals and was full of energy and penetration all afternoon against Sunderland. Leicester City still look suspect at the back so will need their attacking players to win them matches rather than relying on their defence to tough it out. A visit to a solid West Ham team will be a good test.
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Premier League Power Rankings - Game Week 2 13) Micah Richards (Aston Villa) – new entry Playing in the centre for Tim Sherwood’s new look Aston Villa defence, Richards is filling the big void left by Ron Vlaar. He did well against Bournemouth but will have a much harder contest against old foes Manchester United – still only 27, a run of good performances could make him an outside contender for an England call up, with Roy Hodgson light on centre-backs.
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Premier League Power Rankings - Game Week 2 12) Mark Noble (West Ham United) – up 5 Reece Oxford (deservedly) got the headlines for his performance at Arsenal, the 16-year-old playing with a poise of men twice his age. But the skipper set the tone for a brilliant performance at the Emirates, making timely tackles and picking his passes. West Ham host Leicester and now must prove they can win matches when they are the team expected to take the initiative.
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Premier League Power Rankings - Game Week 2 11) Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur) – up 1 The England striker barely got a sniff at Old Trafford, with Chris Smalling and Daley Blind dominant. His best moment was the pass to Christian Eriksen, who should have scored. There is a lot of expectation on Kane’s shoulders after his break-out season last year – he must perform better against Stoke.
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Premier League Power Rankings - Game Week 2 10) Jordan Henderson (Liverpool) – down 3 Philippe Coutinho was the match-winner against Stoke but Jordan Henderson is still the man who has to make Liverpool tick, especially with Steven Gerrard gone. Henderson and James Milner were still working out some kinks against the Potters but they looked solid and kept possession well. A home tie with Bournemouth should allow their partnership to further flourish.
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Premier League Power Rankings - Game Week 2 9) Yohan Cabaye (Crystal Palace) – up 2 A late goal against Norwich was the cherry on top of an excellent debut for Palace’s record signing. Arsenal visit Selhurst Park on Sunday and Cabaye will be desperate to prove to Arsene Wenger that he should have signed him when he had the chance.
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Premier League Power Rankings - Game Week 2 8) Wayne Rooney (Manchester United) – down 4 United didn’t create much at all for their star striker against Spurs, apart from the one opportunity that Kyle Walker mistakenly bundled home. Thankfully for United they travel to Villa Park, their favourite ground away from Old Trafford where they have lost just twice since 1992.
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Premier League Power Rankings - Game Week 2 7) Saido Berahino (West Bromwich Albion) – new entry Manchester City were brilliant on Monday night but West Brom were absolutely toothless. Their game plan had been to contain the visitors and try and steal a win but as soon as they conceded early they had no choice but to try and attack – it didn’t work. Berahino scored plenty of goals last term and although he wants a move away he is going to have to keep scoring if he wants to keep teams interested.
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Premier League Power Rankings - Game Week 2 6) Petr Cech (Arsenal) – down 3 A nightmare Arsenal debut for the goalkeeper against West Ham, easily one of his worst since arriving in the Premier League all those years ago. He will want to forget about as quickly as possible but Selhurst Park can be an intimidating and hostile place to try and restore a reputation.
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Premier League Power Rankings - Game Week 2 5) Troy Deeney (Watford) – non-mover Didn’t get on the scoresheet against Everton but proved he will be a handful in his first season in the Premier League. A home game against West Brom is the type of game Watford have to win if they have any hope of survival this season – it’s been a while since Vicarage Road saw Premier League football so the Hornets will be desperate to impress.
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Premier League Power Rankings - Game Week 2 4) Jermain Defoe (Sunderland) – up 5 Defoe did what he does and got on the scoresheet but it was the players around him who suffered against Leicester with a shoddy performance. It’s only the second week of the season but the match against newly-promoted Norwich already seems like a must-win for Dick Advocaat and the Black Cats.
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Premier League Power Rankings - Game Week 2 3) Bradley Johnson (Norwich City) – down 1 The Canaries played really well last week and at the time of Cameron Jerome’s disallowed goal – it should have been allowed – they were well on top and might have gone on to win the match against Crystal Palace. At least a point at Sunderland is needed for the relegation fighters.
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Premier League Power Rankings - Game Week 2 2) David Silva (Manchester City) – new entry I must admit, I had slightly written off City before the season after a poor, in my opinion, summer of business that only saw Raheem Sterling arrive. How wrong I was. City produced the performance of the weekend to completely dismantle West Brom. Yaya Toure was absolutely outstanding but the vision and craft of David Silva is an absolute sight to behold. No one plays the attacking midfield role better in the Premier League.
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Premier League Power Rankings - Game Week 2 1) Eden Hazard (Chelsea) – non-mover The Belgian is still top but that’s not because he is producing at the highest level but more because Jose Mourinho and the Blues need him to produce some magic at the Etihad. Hazard has not had the best pre-season and looked tired against Swansea – he started almost every game for Chelsea in all competitions last season and carried the burden of being their go-to threat week in, week out. Chelsea cannot contemplate losing to Manchester City, and that Hazard was at the centre of the Eva Caniero storm only makes it that much more important for him to play well.
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Remember when…
Clint Dempsey scored this outrageous goal against Stoke City back in 2013. Dempsey’s corker and a late Emmanuel Adebayor finish fired Spurs into fourth place, albeit temporarily.
Player to watch…
IBRAHIM AFELLAY: Brought to the Britannia Stadium on a free transfer from Barcelona, Afellay’s neat footwork and ability on the ball had Stoke fans grinning from ear-to-ear on Sunday. Despite the 1-0 defeat to Liverpool, Afellay proved to be the exciting prospect that will have Stoke fans on their feet for years to come.
Past three-meetings…
Stoke City 3 (Adam, N,Zonzi, Vertonghen OG) Tottenham Hotspur 0, Premier League, May 2015
Tottenham Hotspur 1 (Chadli) Stoke City 2 (Krkic, Walters), Premier League, November 2014
Stoke City 0 Tottenham Hotspur 1 (Rose), Premier League, April 2014
Form guide…
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR: L
STOKE CITY: L
Vital information…
KICK-OFF TIME: 3pm
TV: Highlights on BBC1
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