Stoke City team news: The players set to miss Wigan Athletic match | OneFootball

Stoke City will be looking to bounce back from defeat when they host Wigan Athletic at the Bet365 Stadium this Tuesday.

The Potters entertained West Bromwich Albion on the weekend, and despite taking the lead through Jacob Brown, a ten-minute double from Jayson Molumby saw the visitors take all three points.

That was Stoke’s second defeat in their last five games, and it now means Alex Neil’s side are winless in their last three games.

The Potters are sitting in 16th place on 52 points, knowing that they won’t go down this season, but they also won’t go up.

So, as we enter these final four games of the season, it may be an opportunity for Neil to rotate his squad and look at all the players at his disposal before this summer’s transfer window opens.

Speaking ahead of this game against Wigan, Neil has provided a further update on defender Ben Wilmot after he was carried off the pitch on the weekend after suffering an injury.

Neil has now revealed that Wilmot is in hospital and has suffered a fracture in his back and will be out for the rest of the season. This is a big blow for Stoke and Wilmot, as the defender has had quite a successful season at the Bet365 Stadium and is probably in contention for their Player of the Year award given the level of his performances.

Midfielder Ben Pearson will miss this game as his late red card against West Brom rules him out through suspension.

Matija Sarkic looks set to miss this game against the Latics, having been on the sidelines with a muscular injury and no news about a possible return to the matchday squad.

Who could Alex Neil turn to instead in his Stoke City starting XI?

Phil Jagielka is likely a player who will be called upon due to Wilmot’s absence. The veteran defender has played 24 times in the league so far, scoring two goals. The 40-year-old last started in the 2-1 defeat to Bristol City at the beginning of the month.

While in Pearson’s absence, Neil could turn to either Lewis Baker or Nick Powell, with the former being a regular in this Stoke side before losing his place in the midfield.

Powell has struggled for regular game time this season, with the majority of his appearances coming off the bench.