Hughes optimistic on Bardsley, Pieters fitness

Stoke take on their bottom-of-the-table opponents at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday, aiming to improve on their current position of ninth.

Earlier this week, Hughes' assistant Mark Bowen revealed that just two defenders - Ryan Shawcross and Marc Muniesa - had been able to train properly, with doubts lingering over Bardsley, Pieters and Marc Wilson.

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