The 10 players set to miss Stoke City v Norwich City | OneFootball

We take a look at who's unavailable as Stoke City welcome Norwich City to the The bet365 Stadium

Narcis Pelach welcomes former side Norwich City to The Bet365 Stadium on Saturday as he looks to continue his decent start to life as Stoke City boss.

Pelach, who left the Canaries to take up the role as Potters boss just last month, will be looking to make it three games unbeaten after a 6-1 win against Portsmouth and a 0-0 draw away to Swansea City in his last two outings, and he'll be keen to get one over on his former side.

Meanwhile, Norwich have begun to show some signs of clicking under Johannes Hoff Thorup in recent weeks, and they'll be looking to continue that momentum in the Potteries to break into the play-off places.

Both sides will be without players for Saturday's game, and here are the 10 players who are set to be unavailable.

Stoke City

Ben Pearson

Ben Pearson is yet to feature for Stoke this season after suffering a hamstring injury back in March, and the Stoke Sentinel have reported that he's been dealt a set-back in his rehabilitation.

Hopes of a return in October or November have been dashed for the 29-year-old, and it looks like he'll be out for a while yet.

Bosun Lawal

Bosun Lawal is yet to make his debut for Stoke City after joining in the summer from Celtic, with his medical flagging up a back issue that needed attention.

However, the 21-year-old is reportedly keen to be involved soon, and is just waiting for the green light to join in training.

Lynden Gooch

Lynden Gooch had looked set to play an important role for the Potters this season before suffering a knee injury against Oxford United last month, but it's not as bad as first feared.

The 28-year-old is working towards a comeback late next month, a relief for Stoke after initial fears that he could be ruled out for nearly the entirety of the season.

Sam Gallagher

It's been a tough start to life at Stoke for Sam Gallagher thanks to injuries, but when he's been fit he's looked like a real asset for the Potters.

He limped off with a calf injury during Stoke's 0-0 with Swansea last time out, in what was just his third appearance after recovering from a calf injury. It's reported that it will be next week, after the Potters' clash with Norwich, that scans will give a clearer picture of his injury.

Norwich City

Angus Gunn

Goalkeeper Angus Gunn will miss the trip to The Bet365 Stadium after picking up a side sprain in their win over Hull City prior to the international break.

Speaking to the press, Thorup said: "It can be a couple of weeks maybe. We will try and inject it and see if it can go a little bit faster." It's a blow for Norwich to be without their first choice goalkeeper, but will provide an opportunity for George Long to impress.

Jacob Lungi Sorensen

Midfielder Jacob Lungi Sorensen has played just 29 minutes of football after suffering an injury on the opening day of the season, and while this fixture will come too soon for him, there is positive news.

Thorup revealed that he has been back on the grass in recent days, suggesting that it won't be too long before the 26-year-old is back in contention for selection.

Liam Gibbs

Midfielder Liam Gibbs will be out for another 10 to 12 weeks, so he won't be in contention for the trip to Stoke on Saturday.

The 21-year-old had played in Norwich's first five league games of the season before suffering a hamstring injury.

Onel Hernandez

Similarly to Gibbs, Onel Hernandez will be out of action for the next 10 to 12 weeks.

He's played five league games for the Canaries this season but suffered a hamstring injury against Watford in September.

Christian Fassnacht

Long-term absentee Christian Fassnacht will be unavailable this weekend, but Thorup has stated that he'll be "back on the grass next week".

This will be a boost for the Canaries, with Fassnacht having played just one game this season, coming on the opening day.

Ashley Barnes

Striker Ashley Barnes is yet to play for Norwich this season, and that won't change when they travel to Stoke on Saturday.

However, this is some positive news, with Thorup telling the media on Thursday: "Barnesy (Ashley Barnes) came back after these couple of weeks feeling a lot better after wearing a boot, so hopefully we can start to put him a little bit on the grass as well." This means it shouldn't be all that long until he's back playing, a big boost considering his 12 goal involvements last season.