Stoke boss Mark Hughes has confirmed winger Xherdan Shaqiri is a major doubt for Saturday’s Premier League clash with West Ham due to a hamstring injury.
The Switzerland international sustained the injury during the first half of the Potters’ 3-1 victory over Swansea at the Bet365 Stadium on Monday, and he has subsequently not been involved in first-team training this week.
Hughes has now confirmed the 25-year-old faces a race against time to be fit for Saturday’s trip to the London Stadium, but he has refused to rule the in-form winger completely out of contention.
“He hasn’t trained all week. He’s got a little bit of damage to the hamstring and at this moment in time he’s struggling to be available,” the Stoke manager said.
“We’ll see how he is today and there may be a slight opportunity. He has to train today (Friday). If he does that then he might have a chance.”
If Shaqiri fails to recover from the problem then his absence will come as a huge blow to Stoke, as the former Bayern Munich man has played an integral role in the club’s recent upsurge in form, scoring both goals in last month’s 2-0 victory over Hull.
The Potters do however have a good recent record against West Ham, as they are unbeaten in the last six meetings between the two sides.
Hughes’ men are available at 4.00 to secure a victory in the capital on Saturday, while the Hammers are priced at 2.00 and the draw is on offer 3.50.
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