Stoke captain Faye targets Europe

Faye joined Stoke from Newcastle United for £2.25m in August 2008

Captain Abdoulaye Faye has said that Stoke City can qualify for a place in Europe this season.

The Potters currently lie ninth in the Premier League with 16 points from 11 games, just three points behind Tottenham Hotspur in fifth.

"It is possible, but we need to improve every game and work very hard," the 31-year-old told BBC Radio Stoke.

"Our main objective is to stay in the Premier League. After that, we can start looking higher up the table."

Stoke let a 2-0 lead slip against Wolves at the Britannia Stadium last Saturday, with the match ending as a 2-2 draw.

Both Wolves goals, scored by former Stoke loanee Jody Craddock, came from set-pieces, and Faye said it is something that the team need to concentrate on before their visit to Hull on Sunday.

"We played very well in the first half, but you need to concentrate for 90 minutes," added the Senegal international defender.

"We need to work hard on the training ground, to work on free-kicks, because everyone is disappointed with the way the goals went in."