da prosport bet： Stoke manager Tony Pulis is urging his players to stay grounded as the Potters edge towards their best-ever English Premier League finish.
da premier bet： Stoke’s highest finish since promotion 2008 was last season’s 11th. And while they currently occupy that position now, Pulis is confident his side can finish in the top half of the table this time.
“We’ve got to recognise where we are. We could have the best season this club has had for a long, long time and finish in the top 10,” he said.
“And if we play well against Brighton in the next round of the FA Cup, we could be in the quarter-finals. That would be fantastic.”
“But it’s very important that people keep their feet on the ground, not get too greedy and be expecting, expecting, expecting.”
Striker Kenwyne Jones and midfielder Matthew Etherington should be recalled to Stoke’s starting line-up for Saturday’s early kick-off against Sunderland.
Both players were rested for Wednesday’s 2-0 defeat at Liverpool, with Pulis strongly criticised by many supporters for his negative team selection.
But Pulis countered: “We played a strong team in the FA Cup at Wolves on Sunday when the Liverpool players were putting their feet up. I had some tough decisions to make, but some players needed a rest.”
“We’ll dust ourselves down and move on to the Sunderland game because us playing at home is completely different to us playing away because our supporters are so good. We need the three points on Saturday.”
Stoke will also welcome skipper Ryan Shawcross back in central defence after he completed a two-match ban.
He will replace Abdoulaye Faye, who was forced off with a hamstring injury at Anfield.
“It will be good to have Ryan back and we should have close to a full-strength squad to choose from,” Pulis said.