Stoke City defender, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Ryan-Shawcross-c31996 believes that the Magpies in-form striker Papiss Cisse will test the Potters rearguard, when his side visits the Sports Direct Arena over the weekend.
The Senegalese striker has been in sublime form lately, since making his move to the Tyneside in January. He has claimed 10 goals in the last 9 matches. The Potters skipper conceded that he needs to be at his best, to prevent him from scoring on Saturday.
At the same time, he also acknowledged the impact that Cisse has made in the Premier League, in a short span of time.
"He is a very talented player and the fact that he is averaging better than a goal a game shows the tremendous qualities he possesses.” He told reporters.
“I enjoy playing against these sort of players though - it's a test for me and for the other defenders.”
The 24 year old is one of the seasoned campaigners in the Stoke City side. The former Manchester United player made his debut for the Potters in the 2007/08 season and became the captain of the team in 2010. So far, he has played 196 matches for the club
in all competitions, and scored 18 goals in total.
Stoke City lost 3-1 to Newcastle at the Britannia Stadium in October, after http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Tony-c35440 Pulis’ side to their first home defeat of the season. Shawcross was substituted in the 19th minute of the game,
after picking up an injury in the game. The Englishman admitted that he was hugely disappointed after that match, but believed that it won’t have any bearings on their trip to Tyneside.
Newcastle will go into the match against the Potters on the back of a five match winning streak. Stoke on the other hand have only managed a single win in their last six games.
"They are on an incredible run of form at the moment and we know that this game will be extremely tough for us.” Shawcross said.
Currently, the Potters are lying at the 14th spot in the league table, with five more games to play. A win against the Magpies on Saturday, will bolster their chances of finishing their league campaign, in the top half of the table.
"Whilst they still have everything to play for, so do we. We are desperate to finish in the top 10 - that is our aim.”
He went on to say that his side can draw confidence from their recent home win against Wolverhampton Wanderers, as they aim to finish the season on a high.
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