Stoke City could be without Joe Allen for the visit of Brentford in the League Cup tonight.

The experienced midfielder has been an ever-present for the Potters when he's been fit this season, however he suffered a knock in the defeat to Millwall last time out.

Whilst it's nothing serious at all, boss Michael O'Neill explained to Stoke-On-Trent Live that he isn't going to take any risks with the Welsh international.

"He's just had some stitches in a wound. It's only two or three stitches, it's nothing major. But there's probably a little bit higher risk of infection if he was to try and play with those stitches in and that's probably a risk that we just have to assess.

"He may not have started the game anyway, but we’ve just got to assess him and see whether he's ready to be part of the squad."

O'Neill may have one eye on the weekend clash against Cardiff City with his team selection, as the Staffordshire outfit have lost three successive league games.

The verdict

This doesn't sound like anything serious for Allen, which is a positive for Stoke, although you would still be surprised if he was in the XI this evening.

O'Neill has regularly rotated his side for the cup games, and this will once again give those on the fringes a chance to impress.

After three league defeats in a row, you would imagine places are up for grabs, so it's down to the individuals to do enough, but Allen is one of those that O'Neill will probably keep in the team for the Cardiff game.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.