Gary Rowett has been handed an injury boost with the return of two key men as his side look to pull of an upset against an in-form Nottingham Forest side at the City Ground at the weekend. 

Rowett is set to have Erik Pieters and Mame Biram Diouf available for selection after they recovered from injuries that have kept them out of the sidelines in recent games.

The return of Diouf in particular will be good news to the Stoke boss, as an injury to Tom Ince is likely to keep the winger sidelined until after the international break.

Coach, Kevin Phillips, gave an update on Diouf's condition on Tuesday to the Stoke Sentinel.

"Mame’s trained. He’s looking good, looking strong.

"He could be one of those players who gets the opportunity to step into Tom’s shoes, so competition is good."

Pieters is pushing for a place in the starting XI against Forest after injury forced the full-back to miss Stoke's goalless draw with promotion-chasing, Middlesbrough.

"Erik Pieters is back in training as well, so apart from Tom, the squad is looking fit and healthy and we will get through tomorrow’s session and then we are almost ready to go for Saturday."

It is set to be a tough ask if Rowett's side are to get anything from the game against Aitor Karanka's Nottingham Forest side, but the return of Pieters and Diouf will certainly boost their chances of pulling off an unlikely result.

The Verdict

Stoke have started to put together a good run of form, and with Rowett's side only losing one of their last seven league games, it is something to build on for the Potters.

With his side only conceding twice in their last six league games, that is impressive reading and Rowett will be keen for his side to maintain that defensive solidarity.

The return of Diouf and Pieters will certainly be a boost to Rowett and gives him a potential selection dilemma, which can only be a good thing as a manager.

Thoughts? Let us know!