Everton vs Stoke City: Pre-Match Quotes

Stoke City will be the last out of the nineteen Premier League teams Everton haven’t faced yet and judging by their giant killings against Chelsea, Manchester City and most recently Manchester United at the Britannia means they shouldn’t be underestimated.

Roberto Martinez knows the threat Stoke possess and under Mark Hughes have evolved into a team the Spaniard describes as having "a lot of flair and creativity".

Speaking ahead of the Potters’ visit to Merseyside, the gaffer said;

"With Stoke, we had a previous encounter with the tournament in Singapore, and since then they have added one or two players."

"It will be good to see what level they are now." Continued Roberto,

"They have already shown that on their day they can beat anyone. Stoke were very impressive against Manchester City not so long ago.

"They are a team that have some very important players with a lot of flair and creativity. We know how tough they can be. We faced them last season in a really competitive game and I expect exactly the same."

After the game we will be halfway through the season and will have played every team in the league, and Martinez is ready to assess what the rest of the season could hold for the Blues.

"After the game, we can look forward to the second half of the campaign knowing every single team, and knowing where we sit in terms of the quality of our side compared to others."

"The reality is that the signs and the potential are all there and it is a very important period for us to be together as a football club and make sure that we help our players to improve on what we have shown so far.

"It is becoming an opportunity to be really successful in this campaign." Concluded the manager.