Stoke City: Norwich City’s Borja Sainz could have a field day v Narcis Pelach stand-in - View | OneFootball

Ben Wilmot must keep the Canaries danger-man quiet if Stoke want to take anything from their game on Saturday

Stoke City face a stern test this weekend as Norwich City travel to the bet365 Stadium for a Championship clash, and a battle between two players likely to start up against each other will be key to which team comes out on top.

The Potters have been tighter at the back in recent weeks, especially since Narcis Pelach settled in properly as head-coach at the bet365 Stadium, with just one goal conceded in their last two games.

Stoke's Spanish boss has made some adjustments to their backline from his predecessor Steven Schumacher's usual starting XI, notably Ben Wilmot starting the last two outings at right-back ahead of Junior Tchamadeu, and it has been no coincidence that his inclusion has contributed to a less leaky defence.

Pelach should have a very good idea of the threat the Canaries pose as they visit the Potteries, after he spent a year as a coach at the club under both David Wagner and current boss Johannes Hoff Thorup, before he was headhunted by Stoke to be their main man last month.

He will need no introduction, then, to Norwich winger Borja Sainz, who has taken the Championship by storm this season, and will have to be kept quiet by Wilmot if Stoke are to take anything from the game on Saturday.

Borja Sainz has been a standout so far this season

Left-winger Sainz joined Norwich last summer from Turkish side Giresunspor after a decent season in the Süper Lig, and he did well in his first season at Carrow Road with six goals and two assists in 35 Championship appearances, but he has stepped up this term to become their star man after the departure of Gabriel Sara.

He netted three goals in his first six games of the new season, including a winner against Coventry City, but the last month has seen him really standout in the second-tier, so much so that he won the EFL's Championship Player of the Month award for September for his impressive performances.

The 23-year-old bagged another goal in a big win over Watford, and then followed that up with a hat-trick at Derby County to single-handedly earn the Canaries a victory as they emerged 3-2 victors at Pride Park.

His latest escapade was yet another brilliant Championship showing, as he registered a goal and two assists in a 4-0 demolition of Hull City earlier this month, so it is quite clear just how in-form he is right now, and he leads the way for combined goals and assists in the league as it stands.

Stoke, and particularly Spanish compatriot Pelach, will be very wary of the danger he poses as he visits ST4, and it will very likely be Wilmot tasked with dealing with his threat off the left-wing.

Ben Wilmot needs to stay solid as a stand-in right-back

Stoke's search for a new right-back came to nothing in the summer window, and with Junior Tchamadeu's poor form and Lynden Gooch's injury woes, centre-back Ben Wilmot has been tasked with playing as a makeshift right-back for Pelach in recent weeks.

Wilmot was a starter on the right of a back four against Swansea City last time out, as Stoke kept their first clean sheet in six outings, and he also was against Portsmouth when the Potters conceded just once to a break-away goal, and hit six in return.

Despite being a centre-back by trade, the 24-year-old is no stranger to playing at right-back for Stoke, with 16 of his 120 games for the club to date coming in that position, and it has come as somewhat of a surprise to see him deployed there once again, but Potters fans will not be complaining after two very solid showings.

With that said, the calibre of opposition he has had to face against Pompey and the Swans has not been comparable to the ability and form of Sainz, so he will almost certainly have his work cut out to keep him at bay.

There could be plenty of key battles across the pitch when the Potters face the Canaries, such as Josh Sargent against his old teammate Ben Gibson, Stoke's Million Manhoef taking on Callum Doyle, and even Tom Cannon trying to get the better of Shane Duffy.

However, the most intriguing clash promises to be that between Wilmot and Sainz, and the winner of the two will likely determine who ends up on the victorious side on the day.