Mark Hughes: 'We need points'

Stoke City manager Mark Hughes has admitted that his side are desperate to start picking up points in the Premier League, starting with Sunday's trip to Swansea City.

Hughes said that he hopes Swansea's European exploits will provide a better opportunity for his team to win at the Liberty Stadium.

"Our away performances have been largely good, so we will be going into the game against Swansea in good spirits," BBC Sport quotes Hughes as saying. "We need to start putting some points on the board now, we are progressing well and enjoying the season so far.

"Swansea are a good side, but maybe their confidence is not as high as it could be - so it may be a good time to play them. But ultimately we have to concentrate on what we need to do and not worry too much about them. They have had a long trip in the Europa League this week and I am not sure if that will affect their performances."

Stoke are currently 17th in the Premier League, four places and two points behind Swansea.