Harry Kane
Harry Kane has not been at his best in the last few games Getty Images

Tottenham Hotspur travel to Stoke City on Saturday as Spurs look to keep their hopes alive of challenging for a top four finish, should their rivals fail to capitalise on their current lead on the table.

Where to watch

Kick-off is set for 3pm BST. Highlights of the game will be available on BBC Match of the Day at 10:30pm BST on BBC One.

Overview

Stoke City have had a brilliant campaign under Mark Hughes, but a recent drought in form can see them relinquish their position at the top of the table. After a ninth place finish last season, it was expected that they would go from strength to strength this season and try to overshoot their position. However, their loss to Swansea last weekend at the Liberty has taken them six points behind Gary Monk's side and are unlikely to find a way to bridge the gap.

Stoke have some tough fixtures coming up in the next few days, with Burnley and Liverpool lined in their last two games. However, the focus is slowly shifting towards Asmir Begovic, who has attracted interest from Liverpool in the summer and is likely to be sold for a sizeable fee.

Meanwhile, Mauricio Pochettino need Manchester United and Liverpool to lose their next three games and Tottenham winning their rest for them to have any chance of making it to the top four. The loss to Manchester City last weekend was a damning blow to their chances of securing their first European expedition in over four years, something that the manager needs to work on next season.

The Argentine is likely to make a lot of changes to the squad next season and increase their strength in depth in midfield and in attack. Harry Kane has been a revelation this season but needs more support up front if he has to continue his form into the following season.

What managers say

Mark Hughes: "[Harry Kane] He is an outstanding young player and credit to him for how he has done this season. I hadn't seen a great deal of him before but I think there were maybe people were questioning whether he had the ability to have the impact he has. He's proved a lot of people wrong. I've just judged him on the games he's played at this level and he's done really, really well to score the amount of goals he has done. As a young player to score that many goals is quite exceptional. As a young player you have to make an impression straight away because the Premier League is such a high standard and he's done really, really well."

Mauricio Pochettino: "If Bale is not comfortable in Madrid, we have a place for him here. If he wants to come back here we are open to signing him. It's not easy when you go to a club like Real Madrid. Bale has the quality to have success. Zinedine Zidane had a difficult time at first, when he moved to Madrid in 2001, and he was criticised. But he needed time to adapt. It's not easy. After being here for two-and-a-half years, I can understand why it is very difficult for English players in Spain. There is the siesta, people go to sleep at midnight, so it's very difficult to adapt. It's easier when you come from Spain to England, but maybe when you go to Spain as an English player, you need one or two seasons to adapt."

Betting odds (By 888Sport)

  • Stoke City win: 37/19
  • Draw: 12/5
  • Tottenham win: 16/11

Team news

Stoke City

Possible XI: Begovic, Bardsley, Shawcross, Muniesa, Pieters, N'Zonzi, Adam, Whelan, Arnautovic, Walters, Crouch.

Tottenham

Possible XI: Lloris, Dier, Fazio, Vertonghen, Rose, Mason, Bentaleb, Lamela, Eriksen, Chadli, Kane.

Stoke City FC Tottenham