Having ended the year with two heavy defeats on the road, Stoke City are hoping to kick off 2014 with a triumph against high-flying Everton. The Toffees produced the right response to the unexpected defeat to Sunderland, beating Southampton at home and they can be forgiven for feeling optimistic ahead of the trip to Britannia.

Struggling to cope with hectic schedule

Mark Hughes arrived at Britannia Stadium to change the way Stoke play while he also needed to ensure the Potters do not get involved in the relegation tussle. Midway through the season we can say that first signs have been more than positive, although a couple of heavy defeats at the end of the year seem to have spoiled the general impression. Stoke go into the clash with in-form Everton on the back of 5-1 and 3-0 losses to Newcastle and Tottenham, so the first thing on their minds would be to keep things tight at the back and avoid another embarrassing result. The Potters haven’t quite impressed at their Britannia this season, having won four of nine matches on home soil, although they did suffer just one defeat during that period. However, with the confidence low following two disappointing results and players clearly struggling to cope with the busy fixture list, Stoke could find it hard to match very good Everton side.

Glenn Whelan and Marc Wilson return from suspension, but Asmir Begovic and Robert Huth are both sidelined through injury.

Everton continue to impress

As much as Liverpool and their title bid have been the talk of the town this season, Everton have been at least as impressive as their more famous rivals and they do sit in fourth place midway through the Premier League campaign. Not too many people doubted Roberto Martinez would prove his credentials at Goodison Park, but we can safely say the Spaniard and his men have exceeded all expectations. Using the money from the sale of Marouane Fellaini, Everton were able to make several excellent signings, with McCarthy, Barry, Lukaku and Deulofeu all impressing in the early exchanges. And with youngster Ross Barkley realising his full potential, the Toffees have finally made that next step, having succeeded in matching England’s top sides both home and away. Everton were pretty unfortunate to suffer the home defeat to Sunderland having dominated the proceedings even with ten men on the pitch, but they made sure to return to winning ways by beating Southampton last Sunday. As a result, they go into the Stoke clash full of confidence and with two important players returning to the side, so they might just be able to sneak a win at Britannia.

Gareth Barry and Tim Howard return from suspension, whereas Sylvain Distin should recover from a hamstring problem.

Verdict

Stoke seem to have suffered quite a dip in form of late and having conceded eight goals in last two matches, the Potters will give their best in an attempt to patch up the leaky defence. Meanwhile, Everton continue to show incredible consistency and I wouldn’t bet against them winning this match.

Top pick: Under 2.5 goals   1.82 (41/50) @ Betfair

Alternative pick 1: Half-time draw   2.15 (23/20) @ Ladbrokes

Alternative pick 2: Away win   2.05 (21/20) @ William Hill