Stoke's £4.3m signing Pukstas to miss clash with Middlesbrough

Action images James, a lifelong Stoke City supporter born in Stoke‑on‑Trent, will watch from the stands as his club host Middlesbrough on Tuesday night at the Bet365 Stadium. The fixture, billed as an exciting Championship encounter, comes after Stoke’s five‑win, one‑draw run under Mark Robins and Middlesbrough’s recent promotion‑push victory.

Key absences for Stoke

Eight Stoke players are set to miss the game, starting with Aaron Cresswell, who extended his stay after a summer arrival from West Ham United in 2025 but remains sidelined by a long‑term pre‑season injury. Sam Gallagher, the in‑form centre‑forward signed in summer 2024, is also out with a minor injury, and manager Robins expects him back in a couple of weeks.

Ukrainian defender Maksym Talovierov received a straight red card after twenty minutes against Bolton Wanderers and will sit out the Tuesday tie due to suspension. Svante Ingelsson, who was sent off with two yellows in the 3‑1 loss to Southampton, is still nursing an injury and has not featured since August.

Young winger Ato Ampah, who joined from Chelsea in January 2026 for a potential £3 million, has not made a senior appearance and will miss the match after confirming a fresh injury setback. Slovak forward David Strelec, limited to two brief league outings and two cup games, is also ruled out following an injury on international duty.

Recent form and context

Stoke’s recent form includes a 2‑1 away win over Bolton Wanderers at the Toughsheet Community Stadium on Saturday, despite being reduced to ten men when Talovierov fouled Kyliane Dong. Lamine Cisse and Ben Wilmot scored to preserve the victory.

Middlesbrough, meanwhile, overtook West Ham United to move into the automatic promotion places after a 1‑0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, with Will Lankshear netting the decisive goal.

Kim Hellberg, Middlesbrough’s manager, has signalled his intent to push for all three points, while highlighted the missing players list, prompting fans to “Show me the facts, Explain it like I’m 5, Give me a light‑hearted recap”.