Stoke City travel to Swansea City on Monday night hoping to continue their resurgence, which saw the Potters record back-to-back Premier League wins before the international break.

Head-to-head

Stoke have a poor record at the Liberty Stadium, not winning at Swansea in 22 years.

The victory in 1993 is the Potters' only win in their last 18 league visits to Swansea, losing 12 and keeping only two clean sheets in that run.

The last match between the two sides ended with the Swans winning 2-0. The win in May helped Garry Monk's side to finish eighth in the Premier League last season - one place and two points above Stoke - and Stoke City manager Mark Hughes is eager to avenge that defeat.

Can Stoke City continue their resurgence?

Stoke caught the eye of many people during the summer with the signings of Xherdan Shaqiri, Ibrahim Afellay and Glen Johnson. However, six games without a win in the league did not match the pre-season optimism.

Things looked to have started to come together, before the international break, after back-to-back Premier League wins against Bournemouth and Aston Villa and three successive victories in all competitions.

The international break came at the wrong time for the Potters after they had gained some momentum, but Mark Hughes will be hoping his side continue their resurgence against Swansea on Monday evening.

Stoke are unbeaten in the previous five Premier League away matches they have played on a Monday, although the last three have finished 1-1. If Mark Hughes' side win on Monday they will record back-to-back league away wins for the first time since December 2011.

The opposition

Swansea's form coming into Monday's game is a contrast to Stoke's resurgence.

Garry Monk's side haven't tasted victory since their 2-1 win over Manchester United at the end of August, picking up just two points in their last four games and also crashed out of the Capital One Cup against Championship side Hull City.

However, the Welsh side are tough to beat at home - the Swans haven't lost at the Liberty Stadium so far this season, recording two victories and two draws.

Players to watch

Mark Arnautovic- the in-form Austrian was Stoke's best player in their 1-0 victory over Aston Villa last time out. Arnautovic scored the only goal of the game against the Villains and he also scored in each of Austria's Euro 2016 qualifiers during the international break. He does like playing away from home too - five of his seven Premier League goals, since joining the Potters from Wender Bremen in 2013, have come away from the Britannia Stadium.

Andre Ayew- Ayew is expected to overcome a knee problem that ruled him out of Ghana's friendly last week. This will be a big boost for the Welsh side as the Ghanaian international has scored four goals in eight games since signing on a free transfer from Marseille in the summer. He is a player that Stoke will need to keep quiet.

Team news

Striker Mame Diouf will miss Monday's game on compassionate grounds. The Senegalese international, who has scored three goals in the league this season, has been granted extended leave by the club following the tragic death of his mother.

The Potters will also be missing Shay Given with a knee injury, but Marc Wilson is likely to be available and Xherdan Shaqiri will also be in contention after declaring himself fit following a knee injury.

Captain Ryan Shawcross is getting closer to a return to Premier League action, but the defender is still a few weeks away from being match fit.

Gary Monk has no injury concerns and Kyle Naughton is back in contention after taking time off for the birth of his daughter.

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About the author
Adam Bailey
Everton editor, who also covers cycling and athletics.