After three successive ninth-placed finishes the Potters are in good shape ahead of new campaign
With the new Premier League season only days away, we run the rule over each club competing in the 2016/17 campaign.
Stoke City
Mark Hughes will hope to build on his impressive record of top-half finishes as he prepares for his fourth season as Stoke City manager.
Highest finishing position
Stoke have ended the last three Premier League campaigns in ninth place, their club record in the competition. They earned their highest points haul, 54, in the 2014/15 campaign, and they also reached at least half a century of points in the seasons either side of that.
Signings
There has been little movement in and out of the bet365 Stadium this summer, but Stoke have secured two first-team signings ahead of the new season.
After helping Wales reach the UEFA Euro 2016 semi-finals, Joe Allen joins the Potters from Liverpool and 19-year-old Egypt winger Ramadan Sobhi made a move from Al-Ahly.
Expected formation
Hughes favoured a 4-2-3-1 formation throughout much of 2015/16, with a fluid interchange of attacking talents in the advanced positions.
Marko Arnautovic, Joselu, Bojan, Mame Biram Diouf and Jonathan Walters were some of the forwards to lead the line, with Sobhi joining Xherdan Shaqiri and co in having the ability to play out wide or behind the striker.
Allen should compete with Glenn Whelan, Charlie Adam and Giannelli Imbula for a place in the two-man central midfield. Captain Ryan Shawcross is expected to lead a defence packed with power and experience, in front of fit-again England goalkeeper Jack Butland.
Managers
Former Manchester United and Chelsea striker Hughes has managed a record-equalling five clubs in the Premier League.
Hughes started his managerial career with Wales before leading Blackburn Rovers to three consecutive top-ten finishes, in his first domestic role from 2004.
His exploits with Blackburn led to him being appointed as Manchester City manager in 2008, and he led them to eighth place before guiding Fulham to the same position in 2010/11 during his next role.
Hughes then guided Queens Park Rangers to Premier League safety in 2011/12 before succeeding Tony Pulis as Stoke City manager in the summer of 2013.
Pulis is the other manager to have taken charge Stoke in the PL, having guided the club to promotion in 2007/08.
Last season
A six-match winless run at the start of the 2015/16 campaign threatened to make it difficult for the Potters, but they were steadily resurgent, beating Manchester City and Manchester United at home as they moved up to seventh place by Matchweek 21.
Form dipped slightly in the second half of the campaign, but a final-day victory over West Ham Unitedsecured ninth spot and another notable scalp for the club.
Pre-season form
Stoke started the pre season programme with a 3-0 defeat at Championship side BurtonAlbion, but they have sincedrawn 1-1 with Preston North End and beaten Orlando City 2-1, and their B team 5-0. Their last warm-up match was a 1-0 defeat to Hamburg.
Significant injuries
Netherlands midfielder Ibrahim Afellay is ruled out until January with a knee injury sustained in April, while Stephen Ireland is expected to be sidelined until February 2017 with a broken leg. Otherwise, Hughes has no injury concerns.
Manager quote
"We’ll sharpen up during the week ahead now and nail down our defensive work in terms of what we do in and out of possession," Hughes said speaking after his side's final pre-season match.
"Attacking-wise we're in decent shape we just need to find an end product. We’ve now got a long road ahead of us but we’re looking forward to it.”
Stoke so called Champions League players even contributed at all, what a delusional joke.Only Affelay seems to have actually played in a final and he was a 92nd minute sub. Let's just see how it will go this season of premiere league.
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