The 14 players set to miss Stoke City v Burnley | OneFootball

FLW rounds up all of the players that are set to be missing for the clash at the bet365 Stadium on Saturday

Burnley remain firmly in the automatic promotion race as they take the short trip south to the Potteries to take on Stoke City on Saturday afternoon.

The Clarets are currently in the middle of their best winning run of the season so far, with three consecutive wins in the lead-up to this game putting them third in the Championship, and they could move top of the league this weekend if other results go their way.

Scott Parker's side boast the best defensive record in the league so far, with just six goals conceded, but face numerous injury woes ahead of a clash against a Potters side on Saturday that are also on a decent run of form as it stands.

Spanish boss Narcis Pelach looks to be gelling his squad together well right now, and Stoke have lost just one of their last 10 Championship outings, but have struggled to convert draws into wins in recent weeks, with the points shared in each of their last three games.

It is certainly not destined to be a high-scoring affair at the bet365 Stadium this weekend, and with that said, these are the 14 players that are set to miss Stoke City vs Burnley.

Enda Stevens

Stoke have struggled with injuries to their full-backs this season, and with Lynden Gooch just back fit, 34-year-old Enda Stevens now looks set to miss out this weekend after he limped out of the Potters' 0-0 draw with Preston in midweek.

Stevens has struggled with a host of different injuries since his 2023 arrival in the Potteries, and while the club are trying to manage his minutes by constantly rotating with Eric Bocat, he looks to have picked up another issue with his leg this time around.

The Republic of Ireland international could make the matchday squad this weekend but looks unlikely to start if he is not at full fitness against a strong Burnley side.

Bosun Lawal

Versatile midfielder Bosun Lawal joined Stoke in August on a four-year deal from Celtic for around £2 million but is yet to feature for the Potters due to his injury troubles.

The 21-year-old had been playing for the Bhoys throughout pre-season but his Potters medical flagged up issues with a stress fracture in his back that he didn’t know he had, and he is now nearing a return to action soon, as he looks set to join full training next week.

Sam Gallagher

Sam Gallagher is another of the Potters' summer captures that has struggled for game-time so far this term, after suffering his first injury blow to his calf just 20 minutes into his Stoke debut in a pre-season friendly in August.

The ex-Blackburn man returned to action in October, but only for two games as he picked up a hamstring problem that continues to rule him out up to now.

Gallagher is also close to a return to fitness though, and is hoping to join Lawal in full training after this weekend.

Ben Pearson

Ben Pearson's last Stoke appearance came back in March, as he went off with a hamstring injury, and then did not feature in the final eight games of last season before it was announced that he was set to undergo surgery in the off-season and miss the start of this campaign.

The 29-year-old has remained sidelined ever since, and suffered a setback in his recovery a few months ago, but is said to be making "positive steps in his rehabilitation," yet the time frame for his return is still uncertain.

Josh Brownhill

Burnley have suffered a myriad of injuries to some of their key men recently, and Josh Brownhill's absence could be the most impactful after he missed out on their 2-0 win against Coventry City in midweek.

Head coach Parker revealed in the immediate aftermath of that win that his captain would "be fine for the weekend, hopefully," but then admitted in his latest update that Brownhill has not fully trained ahead of their trip to ST4, so could miss out once again in the middle of the park.

Zian Flemming

Dutch attacker Zian Flemming has sat out of the Clarets' last two outings, after being a surprise admission last weekend as Burnley won 1-0 away at Bristol City.

The nature of Flemming's injury is currently unclear, but it does not sound particularly promising for him regarding Saturday's game after Parker stated in his pre-match interview that the medical staff "don't know" if he will be fully fit to travel to Stoke.

Mike Tresor

Mike Tresor is yet to kick a ball for Burnley this season, but while he is progressing toward a return to action in the coming weeks, the game against the Potters looks just too soon for him to make the squad.

Parker recently admitted that his recovery had been "a little stop-start" in weeks gone by, so it is clear that the Clarets are not rushing him back into action following his return to training last month.

Joe Worrall

Towering centre-back Joe Worrall looked to be settling in well at Burnley but has not played in two months now after he suffered a broken foot in September.

He is still unavailable as he continues his recovery from injury, and despite his stellar form in the early stages of the campaign, the Clarets do not look to be missing his impact too much, after their strong defensive performances in recent weeks.

Lyle Foster

South African international striker Lyle Foster is currently absent after suffering a knee injury during the October international break.

The 24-year-old looked set to return against West Brom last month, but seemingly suffered a setback in his recovery, and was reported by Parker to still be a "few weeks" away from playing around two weeks ago, so is unlikely to feature this weekend.

Manuel Benson

Manuel Benson's calf injury picked up in September was expected to rule him out for a number of months, and he is still yet to make a return to action as yet.

Benson is a big miss for the Clarets, as he previously impressed in the second tier when they won the league in 2022/23, and his recovery in the coming weeks and months could provide a huge boost to their current promotion credentials.

Aaron Ramsey

Aaron Ramsey has not featured for the Clarets in any capacity since a 5-0 defeat to Arsenal in February, and he will not be making his return this weekend.

The 21-year-old returned to training in September, but has continued his recovery on the sidelines since, and was claimed to be "progressing in the right way" by boss Parker last week.

Hannes Delcroix

Belgian defender Hannes Delcroix looks to be nearing a return for Burnley but it is unclear as to whether he will be available in time for the trip to Stoke this weekend.

The 25-year-old is yet to feature for the Clarets this term, but Parker revealed early last month that he was back training on the grass with the first team, so it seems only a matter of time until he is fit to play.

Jordan Beyer

Centre-back Jordan Beyer is fast approaching a year on the sidelines due to issues following meniscus surgery in October 2023 and looks unlikely to play for the club anytime soon after being left out of their squad list for the first half of the season.

Beyer updated fans on his situation on Instagram in September and revealed that he had undergone further surgery to fix his problems but will not be able to play again in 2024.

Hjalmar Ekdal

Rounding off Burnley's long list of absentees is another defender in Swedish international Hjalmar Ekdal, who is also yet to play since the Clarets were relegated from the Premier League in May.