Narcis Pelach has a plan to halt Borja Sainz's momentum when he comes up against his former colleague this weekend.

The pair worked together closely when Pelach was a first-team coach at Norwich City, with the 36-year-old responsible for the club's attacking players.

He's on a mission to silence his compatriot this weekend, however, when his Stoke side welcome the Canaries to Staffordshire for a reunion.

Pelach believes he's in a better position than any coach to combat the reigning Championship player of the month's strengths, having seen them first-hand for more than a year.

"Borja is a very good football player," he said. "I know him very well, of course: Spanish and Spanish. I was responsible for his performances in Norwich because I was the coach in charge of him. There is no coach who knows more about Borja Sainz than me!

"I wanted him in Huddersfield as well, so we tried to make a deal. But we couldn't do it in the end, and we made it in Norwich. He's a great player, a great human being, and we have a lot of love for each other.

"I am going to try to hide him in this game, to see him less. We have prepared some things, we will see how it goes. My job is to try and prevent things and I will do that as much as possible, knowing he is a great player. When the game starts, players are playing the game, not coaches. He's a great footballer."

The Potters will be without Sam Gallagher, who limped off during their 0-0 draw with Swansea before the international break. That's a significant loss for them, after a series of positive performances from the striker in recent games.

"We lost Sam, which is a blow for us," Pelach continued. "The impact that he had in the last two games, we could see what he brought to the team. It's a pity we don't have him. He's not going to play any of these three games, we need to assess him more and see what it is. We need more opinions.

"I think in 10 days' time we are going to be able to say exactly what it is. It's a moment for other players to step up, to step in and to show that they can do good for the team. I expect them to do it. Our squad is really young, which has advantages, but of course it's a blow to lose Sam, I'm not going to lie."