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Stoke 'have one fit centre-half' for Chelsea's visit, Mark Hughes says

Kevin Wimmer injured a hamstring during Stoke's defeat at Bristol City
Image: Kevin Wimmer injured a hamstring during Stoke's defeat at Bristol City

Stoke face the prospect of hosting champions Chelsea this weekend with just one available centre-half.

Kurt Zouma is ineligible against his parent club while neither Ryan Shawcross nor Geoff Cameron is ready to return.

And speaking at his weekly press briefing, Hughes revealed Kevin Wimmer is struggling to be fit for Saturday's game after damaging a hamstring against Bristol City in midweek.

That leaves Bruno Martins Indi as the sole defender with any significant centre-back experience, so Glen Johnson and Erik Pieters could be asked to move inside if Hughes wants to persist with three at the back.

"We're struggling a little bit defensively," he said. "Ryan won't be available. Geoff Cameron won't be available and Kurt Zouma isn't available. There's a major doubt on Kevin Wimmer - he's touch-and-go and we'll have to see how he is this morning [Friday].

"Of my senior centre-halves I've probably got one. We're keeping our fingers crossed Kevin will be okay. He's got damage to his hamstring and we're hoping it won't stop him playing, but clearly at the moment he's a big risk.

"Obviously if you have three or four injuries in the same position you haven't got depth. That's where we find ourselves and it's coincided with the fact we can't play Kurt Zouma. We're a little bit stretched, to say the least."

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Stoke's makeshift defence will at least be spared the ordeal of facing Diego Costa after Chelsea's discarded top scorer finalised a return to Atletico Madrid.

Hughes called Costa's departure "a real shame" for the Premier League and suggested Chelsea - with three Premier League red cards already this season - are missing the striker's ability to tread a fine line between aggression and indiscipline.

"Last year they were quite good at taking things up to the line and not crossing it," the Stoke boss said. "Maybe they've got the balance a bit wrong at the moment.

"Costa was brilliant at taking it up to the line and then stepping back, affecting opposition teams. Maybe they don't have that ability with the dark arts right on spec at the moment.

"I don't know the whole circumstances, but from a football fans' point of view I think he's a loss to the Premier League.

"I used to really enjoy watching him go about his business because he was different - he had an edge, and the reaction of other players to him was interesting.

"Whatever happened and why, maybe both sides should have got together and got a real positive out of it. As it is he's left Chelsea and the Premier League and that's a real shame."

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