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Jack Butland
Goalkeeper Jack Butland has to play a massive role if Stoke City have to gain anything from the fixture Getty

Stoke City host Manchester City in the Premier League on Saturday, 5 December, as the Citizens look to translate their form in the Capital One Cup to the Premier League. The visitors have a great chance of opening up a bigger gap between themselves and their nearest rivals with a win at the Britannia Stadium.

Where to Watch Live

Kick-off is set for 12:45pm GMT. Live coverage of the game will be on BT Sport 1 and BT Sport 1 HD. Highlights of the game will be on BBC Match of the Day at 10:25pm GMT on BBC One.

Overview

Stoke have managed to turn a corner after a series of disappointing results in the opening few games of the season. However, manager Mark Hughes will be disappointed by the losses to Watford and Sunderland in the last few games, which also saw them beat Chelsea in a riveting encounter. Their last eight games has seen five wins and a draw, which has taken them out of the danger zone and given Hughes a platform to build on for the rest of the season.

The manager will also be boosted by Stoke's recent appraisal in terms of their defensive performance, keeping five clean sheets in their last seven games. The motive now would be to better their ninth place finish last season, which is not out of their grasp given the quality of players they have at their disposal.

Meanwhile, City come into the game on the back of a crushing 4-1 win over Hull City in the quarter-finals of the Capital One Cup. Their form over the past few games has not been reminiscent of champions but the win over Southampton should be able to get their nerves in order ahead of a busy Christmas period.

Their 4-1 loss to Liverpool was an indictment of City's defensive frailties in recent weeks, having kept only two clean sheets in their past nine games. The return of Vincent Kompany is imperative for them to regain their defensive composure but David Silva's presence will give them the attacking nous, which they have been missing in the Spaniard's absence.

What Managers Say

Mark Hughes: "I'm a huge fan of Aguero, I think he's an outstanding player. His ability to change games in City's favour is there for everybody to see and he's done it on so many occasions. You need game changers like that. He's certainly one of the best in the world in my view."

Manuel Pellegrini: "I think the best way to do it is not to think about it and stay focused on your next game. When you continue in all the competitions you have so many games, and really not thinking if we can win all four — the important thing is to continue with those options in every game you play. It always must be the target of the big clubs. We try to be a big club and to think as a big club, so of course it can be an option but we are not thinking about that.''

Betting Odds

• Stoke City Win: 17/4
• Draw: 3/1
• Manchester City Win: 5/7

Team News

Stoke City

Possible XI: Butland; Johnson, Shawcross, Wollscheid, Pieters; Whelan, Adam; Shaqiri, Bojan, Arnautovic; Walters

Manchester City

Possible XI: Caballero; Sagna, Otamendi, Demichelis, Kolarov; Toure, Delph; De Bruyne, Silva, Sterling; Aguero

Manchester City FC