Lou Macari has backed Stoke City to stay in the Championship but he admitted the pressure is really building on the team given their history.

A 4-2 defeat at QPR on Saturday, when the Potters had been two goals up, has left Michael O’Neill’s men just three points ahead of the relegation zone with 13 games to play.

Whilst O’Neill has done a fantastic job since taking over, he still faces a battle to keep the side in the Championship.

Another relegation would be embarrassing for Stoke given their recent history of playing in the Premier League and in Europe – and Macari doesn’t think that will help the club, even if he feels they will survive.

"There’s only 13 games left, and once you get into single figures the pressure cranks up again," he wrote in his Stoke-On-Trent Live column.

"There may be pressure on those trying to get out of the Premier League at the other end of the table, but the pressure is even greater on clubs like Stoke trying desperately to stay in it. I remain confident."

Do you know where these 15 ex-Stoke City players are playing now?

The verdict

There's no doubt that Stoke are under more pressure than some of their relegation rivals because they aren't a club that should be playing in League One.

However, we've seen bigger clubs than Stoke drop to the third tier and we know that reputations mean nothing in football so it's about the players delivering.

The recent form, particularly Saturday, is a concern but the Potters have shown enough under O'Neill to suggest they can stay up and it's about bouncing back this weekend against Cardiff City.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.