Michael O’Neill provides Stoke City injury boost before QPR tie | OneFootball

Stoke City are on the back of two Championship defeats and will want to turn that around this weekend against QPR – and they may be aided by the return of two players, as reported by the club’s official website.

The Potters are on the outskirts of the play-off places but a win against the Hoops could lift them into the top six. It won’t be an easy task, with Mark Warburton’s side also flying high in the second tier but Michael O’Neill will fancy his chances – especially with the news of two potential player returns.

Those players are Sam Clucas and Abdallah Sima, who the boss says have both been involved in training with Stoke again this week.

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The former of the two has been as important as ever, making 12 appearances and bagging a goal from the centre of the field too. However, he suffered a knock in the middle of October and has been unable to feature since then.

As for Sima, he’s featured a lot less frequently but has not even been in the squad since the club’s 3-3 draw against Cardiff at the back end of October. He provides a solid squad option for Michael O’Neill though, so it will be a boost to the boss to see both mean back in action this week.

Although they might not be rushed back sooner than needed – and therefore may not walk straight back into the starting eleven – it is positive news for the Potters boss. Speaking to the club’s official website about the duo, he said: “Clucas and Sima have trained this week which has been a big positive. We just have to see how they are for Sunday. Today was a heavy day for them so we will just have to check how they have reacted to it and then decide whether we feel they are ready to be involved in the matchday squad.”

It’s a welcome boost for the Potters and they’ll be hoping that at least one of the two can feature this week and make an impact, as they bid to try and seal a victory over QPR.

Sam Clucas is an ever-dependable face in the centre of the field for Stoke. To have him out of action for over a month has been a blow and Sima too is a decent talent that can have an impact either from the start of a game or off the bench.

It’s good to see them both back in training then and Michael O’Neill will be hoping they can be back up to full match fitness soon. Although they might only be able to make a cameo this weekend, it is positive to have that possibility given to him.