Rob Edwards names two Stoke City players who could pose a serious threat against Middlesbrough

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Middlesbrough boss Rob Edwards has highlighted a major threat posed by Stoke City ahead of facing Mark Robins’ Potters.

Championship action returns on Tuesday night, and arguably the biggest fixture sees Stoke City travel to take on Middlesbrough.

Boro have been flying under Rob Edwards and sit top of the Championship table with 17 points from seven games.

Edwards still hasn’t lost a Championship game this season, but his unbeaten record will be tested by Stoke City.

Rob Edwards picks out two Stoke City players as potential threats

Stoke sit third heading into Tuesday’s game, racking up 13 points from their seven games so far this term.

Mark Robins has made a great start to the season, and Stoke will pose a real threat at the Riverside Stadium.

Edwards is well aware of that danger and has picked out two players who could pose serious problems.

Edwards has told BBC Radio Tees that Stoke are a ‘real crossing team’, highlighting the quality of both Sorba Thomas and Aaron Cresswell on the left flank.

The Boro boss also pointed out Stoke’s pace and power in attack, but seemingly believes most of the threat will come from balls into the box from Cresswell and Thomas.

“They’ve got quite an interesting blend, real pace and power on the last line and a real crossing team, especially on the left with (Sorba) Thomas and (Aaron) Cresswell,” said Edwards.

“It’s no surprise at all (to see them doing well), they look really solid and have a real attacking threat as well,” he added.

Cresswell joined Stoke after leaving West Ham United, while Thomas arrived from Huddersfield Town after a loan spell with Nantes.

Early results have been positive, especially for Thomas, who has already bagged three goals and three assists.

Cresswell was known for his crossing at West Ham, and Edwards will be wary of his threat from out wide and set pieces.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough	7	5	2	0	12	5	7	17
2	CoventryCoventry	7	3	4	0	18	7	11	13
3	Stoke CityStoke City	7	4	1	2	10	5	5	13
4	Bristol CityBristol City	7	3	3	1	13	7	6	12
5	LeicesterLeicester	7	3	3	1	9	6	3	12

• READ MORE: Mark Robins was told Stoke City fans would make him ‘go deaf’ after Steven Nzonzi moment

Where Stoke City rank for Championship crosses

Edwards pointed out Stoke’s threat from crosses, and they do rank high in terms of balls into the box in the Championship.

Stoke have recorded 34 accurate crosses this season, which leaves them 10th in the table in that regard.

Wrexham lead the way with 44, but they have racked up 104 inaccurate crosses.

Stoke have accumulated 129 inaccurate crosses this season, which ranks as the fourth-highest total in the Championship.

In total, Stoke have attempted 163 crosses in the opening seven games, a number eclipsed by just three Championship clubs.

Boro need to be ready for that approach, and Edwards will hope to shut both Cresswell and Thomas down on Tuesday night.