Portsmouth relegation rivals hit by sickness bug on eve of crucial Championship fixture

Stoke City boss Mark Robins has confirmed a number of his Potters first-team have been lying low after a sickness bug infiltrated their ranks this week, ahead of their game against Watford.

The 20th-placed side (35 points) welcome the Hornets to the Bet365 Stadium on Saturday looking to extend the five-point advantage they currently have over third-from-bottom Plymouth, who aren’t in Championship action this weekend as they take on Manchester City in the FA Cup.

In Robins’ pre-match press conference, the head coach admitted he was waiting news on the availability of an unnamed number of his players as he confirmed a sickness bug had ripped through his squad.

He told StokeOnTrent Live: ‘Well, we’ve had a meeting this morning but there were only a few in. After the press conference we’ll have another report on that and hopefully we’ve got 20 training this morning.

‘That will be good but there are one or two who have been suffering the effects of various viruses’

The Potters are also keeping tabs on the fitness of Ipswich loanee Ali Al-Hamadi and Wouter Berger, with the duo both closing in on injury returns.

Championship relegation battle

Stoke remain in trouble at the wrong end of the table after they lost 3-1 to Middlesbrough on Tuesday night. The defeat was their second in a row and their 15th of the current Championship campaign.

Their survival chances weren’t helped, either, by fellow strugglers Cardiff, who moved above Robins & Co after a midweek triumph against Hull, who remain one place above the relegation zone on 33 points.

The Potters currently sit four points behind Pompey in the standings. The Blues make the trip to Luton on Saturday bidding to move 12 points clear of the relegation zone.

For your next Pompey read: Fratton faithful all say the same thing as Portsmouth announce second statement of intent this week