Stoke City manager Mark Hughes has admitted that he is encouraged by his side's recent results at Villa Park ahead of their trip to the West Midlands on Saturday afternoon.
The Potters are unbeaten in their five most recent fixtures in Birmingham, with the last two ending in away victories, and with Stoke claiming their first Premier League win against Bournemouth last weekend, Hughes admits that his team are in "good spirits".
The 51-year-old is quoted by BBC Sport as saying: "We have produced some really pleasing stuff during our previous visits, and we can take heart from that.
"We picked up our first win in the league last weekend and now we want to build upon that and sign off for the international break unbeaten in four.
"We were pleased with how things went last week, taking four points from two games and beating Fulham in the cup, so we are in good spirits at the moment."
A draw will be enough to keep Stoke above Villa in the Premier League table, but victory could see the Potters potentially move five points clear of the relegation zone.
Darren Plant
