Narcis Pelach drops update on Wouter Burger and Sam Gallagher situations at Stoke City | OneFootball

Stoke City head coach Narcis Pelach has given an update on the fitness of midfielder Wouter Burger and striker Sam Gallagher.

Stoke City head coach Narcis Pelach says midfielder Wouter Burger could be fit to play against Bristol City on Tuesday night, but there was less positive news on the fitness of striker Sam Gallagher.

Burger was replaced by Jordan Thompson in the closing stages of the first half in the 1-1 draw with Norwich City at the bet365 Stadium on Saturday after appearing to suffer a foot injury.

Gallagher missed the opening weeks of the campaign after suffering a calf injury in pre-season, but he made his return at the end of September, and he scored his first goal for the club following his summer move from Blackburn Rovers in the 6-1 win over Portsmouth earlier this month.

However, Gallagher was forced late on in the 0-0 draw at Swansea City before the international break with a hamstring injury, and he could now be set for another spell on the sidelines.

Despite their injury problems, Stoke picked up an excellent point against the in-form Canaries on Saturday, and the result saw them move up to 16th in the table ahead of the visit of Bristol City.

Narcis Pelach provides Wouter Burger and Sam Gallagher injury update

Pelach admitted that he is unsure whether Burger will be fit to feature against Bristol City, but he said that if he is ruled out of Tuesday night's game, he does not expect him to be sidelined for long.

"We are assessing him," Pelach told Stoke-on-Trent Live.

"We are waiting today, so hopefully this afternoon we will know something. He could be available, he could play, but maybe no and he has to miss one game or two games. We're delaying as much as we can in order to make the right decision as well so I am waiting for the medical staff to tell me and then this evening we will know exactly whether he can play tomorrow or not."

However, Gallagher is one player who will definitely be unavailable, and Pelach revealed that he will be assessed over the coming days to determine the severity of his hamstring problem.

"Not yet," Pelach said.

"It's going to be at least one week more before we can definitely say something, because the medical staff need to wait. They gave him a little period to rest, to settle and to see exactly what it is. We'll do new tests and then we'll examine and know exactly what it is, because I imagine that will be in 7-10 days."

Stoke will also be without Lyndon Gooch, Bosun Lawal and Ben Pearson in midweek, and with a busy fixture schedule coming up, Pelach hinted that he could make changes.

"We analyse all the cases individually. Every player is different," he added. "You have their age, their mentality, the opponent we have affects the decision making as well. Of course we are going to choose the best line-up using all these things - who is best to play against Bristol? Who is best to go in this direction, depending on the tactics we want to implement?" Pelach said.

"Maybe there'll be some changes, maybe not, but two days later doesn't mean we have to change things. Maybe it's the same line-up, maybe there are a couple of changes, maybe there are six changes. We'll see. I just need to feel what is right for the game and I will wait until I really feel what is right."

Stoke will be hopeful that Burger will be fit to face Bristol City, but Thompson performed well after coming on as a substitute against Norwich on Saturday, and he would be a more than capable replacement if the Dutchman is unavailable.

However, the Potters will be much more frustrated about Gallagher's latest injury setback, particularly as the 29-year-old made a big impact after returning to fitness last month.

Gallagher was forming an impressive partnership up front with Tom Cannon before picking up his hamstring injury, and while Stoke do have Million Manhoef and Lewis Koumas to provide the goals in his absence, there is no doubt he will be a big loss.

After a tough start, it seems that the Potters are beginning to turn a corner under Pelach after a three-game unbeaten run, and they will be looking to continue their improvement against the Robins on Tuesday night.