Stoke City

Back for a second successive year after making their debut in 2015, Stoke City will be looking to build on a performance that saw them eliminated in the group stage last year.

The Potters lost their inaugural HKFC Citi Soccer Sevens match 2-0 to Hong Kong’s Yau Yee League Select before going on to claim a 3-0 win over the Hong Kong Football Association U-20 side.

But a 2-2 draw with eventual champions Atletico Madrid was not enough to advance to the quarter-finals before Stoke then lost 2-0 to Hong Kong Football Club Captain’s Select in the quarter-finals of the Plate competition.

Stoke have transformed their reputation in recent times after becoming synonymous with the long-ball game during the Tony Pulis days following promotion to the English Premier League in 2008.

And since Mark Hughes took over in 2013, the style of play at the Britannia Stadium has changed dramatically with talented stars including Bojan Krkic, Marko Arnautovic and Xherdan Shaqiri now components of a new-look, free-flowing side.

With more than 300 appearances spanning two spells at the club, Sir Stanley Matthews is Stoke’s most famous son, while goalkeeper Ben Foster and Glasgow Celtic’s Kris Commons have come through the academy more recently.