Stoke City predicted starting XI vs Norwich as Mark Robins weighs up wingers
Team news as Stoke City head on the road to Norwich City in the Championship hoping to build on a big win over Swansea
Mark Robins will have to decide whether Million Manhoef is ready for a Stoke City starting shirt after returning to action with an important cameo.
Manhoef made his first appearance last weekend since injuring a knee in mid-December. The 23-year-old came off the bench to help the Potters come from 1-0 down to beat Swansea 3-1, setting up the second goal with a free-kick.
There is competition for wide spots, with Bae Junho – who scored that second goal – catching Robins’ eye when he switched to the left while Lewis Koumas had scored twice the previous weekend from the left wing against Cardiff in the FA Cup.
Josh Wilson-Esbrand had played on the left wing a weekend before that, in a win at Hull, but an update is needed on him after he jolted a calf when he landed while playing at left-back in the closing stages against Swansea. There will be an update, too, on Wouter Burger after he limped off with a knee injury. Ben Gibson, who was supposed to be among the substitutes, pulled out in the warm-up.
Robins would find it tough to stomach further blows just as key men like Manhoef and hopefully Sam Gallagher, Enda Stevens and Ben Wilmot are making their returns to action.
Jordan Thompson started against Swansea at left-back, his first start since October – undergoing a hernia operation in January. Stevens could come back in for a test at Carrow Road – but Stoke also have a home match against Middlesbrough on the Tuesday that will have to come into Robins’ consideration.
Ben Pearson is hoping to clock up as many minutes as possible after his first start in 11 months, even if he might not be risked through 90 minutes just yet. Ali Al-Hamadi, on loan from Ipswich, will enjoy the chance to try to get one over Norwich.
Robins isn’t likely to make all that many changes unless forced but could switch Junho and Koumas’s flanks. Lewis Baker, after scoring his stunner last week, is on standby to return to the starting XI if needed.
Stoke City winger Bae Jun-ho has struggled to make much of an impact so far this term in red and white, but much like his debut season, his first goal of the campaign came in February, which will leave Potters fans and boss Mark Robins hoping it is the catalyst for him to kick on and become a key player again.
Jun-ho joined Stoke from K-League outfit Daejon Hana Citizen in August 2023, arriving in the Potteries as a relative unknown on a four-year deal for a reported fee of around £2m amid a flurry of incomings that summer.
He has since become an important player for the Potters off the left wing or in attacking midfield but did struggle to initially adapt to English football under both Alex Neil and Steven Schumacher.
The 21-year-old eventually went on to win Stoke’s Player of the Year award at the end of his debut campaign, after some standout performances in the second half of the season but has again found it tough to impact games this term. The Potters have chopped and changed managers and he has likely suffered burnout from playing so many games for both club and country.
But there are green shoots. He popped up his first goal of the season over the weekend against Swansea City to give Robins’ side the lead in what would become a vital win. The Stoke boss will hope that lightning is set to strike twice and Jun-ho will now be able to repeat his 2024 heroics in the coming months after the decisive finish.
