‘Lot of pressure’ – Stoke City verdict delivered by QPR boss Marti Cifuentes
Stoke City have a ‘lot of pressure’ on them to get a result this weekend against QPR, the Hoops’ boss Marti Cifuentes has said.
Stoke City are back in action on Saturday with a home clash against the R’s. SCFC are currently sat in 20th place in the table as they look to avoid relegation to League One.
The Potters are only a point above the drop zone with eight fixtures left to play. Mark Robins’ side lost 1-0 away at Millwall last time out.
Cifuentes has delivered his verdict on his upcoming opponents, as per QPR’s official club website: “We know when you are playing to avoid relegation, when you have been or when you are that close, you know there is a lot of pressure, a lot of tension. So it’s a very important game for us and we need to play with exactly the same urgency that they will because we know what they will play for.
“Stoke has got four clean sheets at home, only one loss, so they are showing that they are a reliable team with quality, with an experienced manager, and it’s not easy to beat them at home.”
He added: “I have big respect for Mark Robins for everything he achieved at Coventry and then coming into a club like Stoke with quality players. I’m sure that it will not be an easy game in the sense that they are a team that is good on the counter, they are a team that has changed quite a lot from the beginning of the season.”
Stoke City latest
It has been a mixed start to life at Stoke City though for Mark Robins.
He has won four of his first 15 fixtures at the helm and it remains to be seen at this stage whether his team will have enough to stay up.
The Potters turned to the experienced coach after his exit from Coventry City.
Stoke City began this season with Steven Schumacher at the helm after he kept them up last year.
The former Plymouth Argyle man was given pre-season but lasted only five fixtures into this campaign.
He was sacked and replaced by Narcis Pelach and has since linked up with Bolton Wanderers in the third tier.
Pelach’s time at the Bet365 Stadium didn’t go to plan though and he was also given the chop as well earlier this winter.
Will Stoke City stay up?
Time will tell whether Stoke City will be able to get enough points to survive, especially with Derby County in fine form below them.
The Rams have won their last three on the spin under John Eustace.
The Potters’ fate is in their own hands though and they are back in action this weekend following the international break with a home clash against QPR.
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