Nathan Jones will be hoping to gather some momentum this weekend when his Stoke City side welcome Preston North End to the Bet365 stadium on Saturday. 

A 2-1 win against league-leaders Leeds United last weekend was exactly what was needed after Jones had kicked his spell off with back-to-back losses.

In what was almost certainly the club's best performance of the season, the new Potters boss set his side out to press the Whites and limited their threat like no other side has in the current campaign.

Picking a side to play Leeds and a side to play Alex Neil's struggling North End side are different scenarios entirely, however, and Jones will have spent the week figuring out how to best set up his troops.

A more conservative 3-5-2 was used against the Whites but you would expect Stoke to try and grab the initiative more this time out.

With everything taken into account, here is the XI Jones should select for the clash...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The backline at Stoke is beginning to pick itself. Butland will, of course, remain in goal whilst Bruno Martins Indi drops out after a solid display against Leeds to allow for a back four with Pieters and Bauer on either wing with Shawcross and Williams keeping things solid in the middles.

Allen and Woods will make up the central midfield positions, acting as the catalysts for attacking play, feeding the ball swiftly and effectively into the attacking unit.

In more advanced but slightly freer roles will be Sam Clucas and Tom Ince, with Ince taking up a left-sided position and Clucas on the right. Jones has long been a fan of direct attackers and these two fit the bill perfectly.

Tyrese Campbell should 100% retain his spot up front as well. It looks set to be a bit of a masterstroke from Jones bringing him in, adding a much-needed hunger to what had become a lacklustre crop of strikers.

He will be hoping that can rub off on Benik Afobe as well.