Stoke City's injury concerns ahead of Portsmouth fixture on Wednesday ft Million Manhoef update | OneFootball

FLW rounds up all of the Potters' injury news ahead of their home clash with Pompey

Stoke City have had a turbulent few weeks as a club, but must now look ahead and start to win games to pull away from the Championship drop zone, starting with the visit of Portsmouth on Wednesday.

Narcis Pelach has been in charge of the Potters for nearly two weeks now, and there has been little respite as he continues to search for his first three points as head-coach in his third game as boss against Pompey.

It is still very early in the season to judge, but Stoke have not looked like the mid-table team that many expected so far under previous boss Steven Schumacher or Pelach, and they currently sit 20th in the second-tier with just two wins from their first seven games, so this midweek clash already feels like a must-win for the Spaniard.

The Potters produced a disappointing performance last time out at Middlesbrough, as Michael Carrick's side cruised to a 2-0 victory with little fight put up by their visitors, but the signs were there, at least, that Pelach's keep-ball style of play is being slowly implemented throughout the team.

Their visitors, Pompey, are in similarly poor form, albeit slightly more expected given their status as a newly-promoted side from League One, so it is also a huge game for John Mousinho's side as they seek a first win of the season on their return to the second-tier.

It is set to be a nervy affair with both teams needing a win, and Football League World have rounded up Stoke's injury concerns ahead of this bottom-half clash in the Potteries.

The Potters have struggled in front of goal this term with just four league goals to their name, but Dutch winger Million Manhoef has been their shining light in attack so far, yet he could be unavailable for the visit of Pompey after being forced off in the second-half against Boro and would be a huge miss if he does have to sit it out.

According to Pelach in his post-match press conference in the North East, the 22-year-old will be "assessed" ahead of the match on Wednesday after he was substituted with a leg issue against Boro, and had also been feeling ill prior to the game.

There is some good news for the Potters though, as Stoke-on-Trent Live have reported that loanee centre-back Ashley Phillips should be set to return to the squad in midweek.

Spurs man Phillips has sat out of the first two games of Pelach's reign up to now due to the FA's concussion protocol, after he suffered a blow to the head against Fleetwood Town in the Carabao Cup and had to be taken off, then miss a fortnight of action.

The Potters' long-term absentees include utility man Lynden Gooch, who suffered a knee injury against Oxford last month and was initially believed to be sidelined for the long-term, but will only be out for a "little while" according to Pelach, while summer signing Bosun Lawal is yet to feature for Stoke due to a back problem that does not have timescale, but Stoke are being "patient" with him.

Tough-tackling midfielder Ben Pearson is due to be out for longer than expected, after suffering a setback last week in his recovery from a hamstring injury that he had surgery on in the off-season, according to Stoke-on-Trent Live.

Million Manhoef would be a massive miss for Stoke

Manhoef has been one of Stoke's key players since his January arrival from Eredivisie outfit Vitesse, and his performances have seemingly gone up another level this term, despite the team seeing no improvement as a whole.

The 22-year-old has been the Potters' standout performer so far this season, with three goals and two assists in 10 games, including a crucial winner in the closing stages against Plymouth Argyle for Stoke's last league victory in August.

It would be a serious blow to lose him for a clash against a struggling Portsmouth side who have conceded the third-most goals and second-most expected goals (xG) in the Championship so far this season, while committing the fourth-most fouls per game of all teams to date, according to Sofascore.

Manhoef is top of a number of attacking metrics when compared to his teammates this season, using Fotmob, such as chances created, shots on target per game, xG per 90, expected assists (xA) per 90 and possession won in the final third per 90, so it is clear just how imperative he is going to be to Stoke's chances of emerging with a crucial victory against Mousinho's men.

Potters fans and boss Pelach alike will hope that his issue from the weekend is only minor, and he is able to take up a spot either at right wing or attacking midfield from the off on Wednesday.