Xherdan Shaqiri says Stoke should be aiming for the Champions League

Xherdan Shaqiri says Stoke have a squad capable of qualifying for the Champions League in the coming years.

The Swiss international, who joined the club from Inter Milan last summer, is part of a Potters squad with plenty of experience in the competition.

He won the tournament with Bayern Munich in 2013, while team-mates and former Barcelona players Bojan Krkic, Ibrahim Afellay and Marc Muniesa have also lifted the trophy.

Manager Mark Hughes has linked up Shaqiri with Bojan and Marko Arnautovic, who was at Inter Milan when they won the Champions League in 2010, and the 24-year-old thinks Stoke have a squad capable of qualifying for the competition in the next few seasons.

"We have a very good team," Shaqiri told the Daily Mirror. "I don't want to say this year we can make the Champions League, but we have the quality to get into Europe.

"The way this club is going forward then, of course, soon this club will want to play in the Champions League. We are playing good football and that is the first step. We are in a good way and I'm sure that very soon we can aim for the Champions League."