Suspended Jonathan Walters and Charlie Adam will be big misses for Stoke as in the in-form Irons looks for another safety boost at the Britannia Stadium..
Long-term absentee Robert Huth will miss the rest of the season because of a knee injury, while Noroccan striker Oussama Assaidi (knee) faces a fitness test.
Andy Carroll is set to return to the starting line-up, but Marco Borriello and Joey O’Brien remain out.
A source told us this morning that rumours the Italian would miss the rest of the season are false and that he is likely to be available within a month!