Stoke City defender Luke McNally insisted that his side have the quality to compete against the rest of the Championship following the Potters’ 2-1 home win over Sunderland at the weekend.
The three points were enough to put Alex Neils’ side five points clear of the relegation zone. Meanwhile, Leeds United’s last-minute comeback against Norwich City fired them up to third following maximum points in their last three games. The two sides face off against one another on Wednesday night.
Stoke last saw defeat at the hands of Leeds at their own ground back in August 2019 in an emphatic 3-0 win for the Marcelo Bielsa-led side.
McNally has urged his side to show the same hard work and fight in order to get one over on the Peacocks at the Bet365 Stadium.
Speaking to StokeCityFC.com the 24-year-old said: “We had to dig in really in the end but I think first half we played quite well and then to get 3 points feels like a bit of a relief but we need to build on it now and back it up in the next game.
“To get a lead in the second half, we just saw it through and everyone worked so hard. When you work as hard as that I think you’ve got a chance in any game.
“You saw glimpses of quality but I think we showed what a fighting team we can be and we just need to show that all the time now.”
On Wednesday night’s tough fixture, the Burnley loanee claimed: “Going into the next game off the back of a win it is easier to build momentum than with a loss but we need to use that in our power now
“We’re obviously playing one of the stronger teams next, but I think we showed in all the games… that we can more than compete and we have to do that again on Wednesday.”
McNally joined Burnley in 2022 for £2 million but will spend all of this season on loan at Stoke City, hoping to help the Potters climb back up the table after a dismal start to the campaign.
Writer’s View
Stoke’s squad potentially lacks the quality to reach promotion back to the Premier League. However, when on form, they can give any team in the Championship a difficult game.
Leeds United are on an excellent run of form over the past few weeks but will do well to come away from Stoke-On-Trent with all three points.
