Mark Hughes confirms Kurt Zouma will miss West Ham clash

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Stoke will be without Kurt Zouma for their Premier League clash with West Ham
Mark Hughes confirmed the defender has not recovered from a hamstring issue
Zouma picked up the injury during Stoke's midweek 1-0 defeat away to Burnley
Hughes and Co will be trying to avoid their third straight defeat this weekend

Published: 12:25 EDT, 14 December 2017 | Updated: 12:26 EDT, 14 December 2017

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Stoke City defender Kurt Zouma will miss Saturday's Premier League match against West Ham United after failing to recover from a hamstring injury suffered in midweek, manager Mark Hughes said on Thursday.

The on-loan Chelsea player limped off the pitch in Stoke's 1-0 loss to Burnley on Tuesday but Hughes said Zouma's injury was not likely to keep him out for long as feared earlier.

'Unfortunately, Kurt won't be available this weekend, which is of course a disappointment for us,' Hughes told a news conference.

Stoke boss Mark Hughes has confirmed Kurt Zouma will not be fit in time for West Ham clash

'The good news is, however, that the injury isn't as serious as it might have been, so we don't anticipate him being ruled out for any significant length of time.'

Hughes will be without injured defender Bruno Martins Indi (groin) while forward Jese is expected back next week after returning to Spain to deal with his son's health issues.

Stoke, who are 15th in the table with 16 points after four wins, four draws and nine losses, are looking to avoid a third straight league defeat and come up against a West Ham side slowly finding their feet under new manager David Moyes.

The Chelsea loanee picked up a hamstring injury in Stoke's 1-0 loss to Burnley in midweek

The 19th-placed London side beat champions Chelsea 1-0 last week before holding Arsenal to a 0-0 draw.

'West Ham are getting people behind the ball at the moment and David Moyes has them organised at the back. He is a good manager as he has proven over the years.'