5 Premier League teams who are involved in a battle for relegation

#4 Stoke City

Stoke's strikers, like Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, just aren't scoring enough goals

Stoke acted quickly when it became clear they were in trouble during the Christmas period – a run of six defeats in eight Premier League games saw them dispense of boss Mark Hughes and replace him with Paul Lambert.

Unfortunately, despite Lambert making some improvements to the fortunes of the Potters, they’re just not winning enough games and remain in trouble, currently sitting in 19th place.

Stoke was always famed for being a tough side to beat, but while Hughes was still in charge that began to change. They conceded 5 against Chelsea, 7 against Manchester City and 5 against Tottenham, for instance, and Hughes’s summer signing of Kevin Wimmer didn’t really help to strengthen the back line either.

An away record of one victory stands as proof of Stoke’s newer, flimsy nature.

Under Lambert, they haven’t conceded as many, but the goals at the other end have dried up. Stoke have only scored 5 goals in his tenure thus far, and his side has only collected 7 points.

Misfiring duo Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Mame Biram Diouf could be blamed here, but the reliance on Xherdan Shaqiri is also worrying. He’s been responsible for Stoke’s last three goals – securing two points along the way – and lord knows what would happen if they lost him.

They also have a tough run-in by anyone’s standards. Matches against Man City, Arsenal, Tottenham, and Liverpool are still to come while they also face off with fellow relegation battlers Swansea and Crystal Palace in their final two games.

The City and Arsenal games – two of their next three fixtures – could be key. Gain points from them and hope might be restored, but lose them and it’ll be tricky to see a way out for the Potters.