Stoke City boss Mark Hughes has urged his fringe players to be patient.
Hughes is eager to maintain a consistent XI.
"At the moment all the ones out of the team are in a difficult situation," he said.
"We are in a position when we want continuity which we've lacked prior to this run. That was a difficulty we had, that we didn't have that continuity in selection but we've had it in recent times and we've improved our performances as a consequence."