Stoke v Fulham Preview

Posted Tuesday, September 21, 2010 by sportinglife.aol.co.uk

CARLING CUP: BRITANNIA STADIUM, TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 19, 2010. KICK-OFF: 1945 BST

Tony Pulis will find himself in the unusual position of seeing another manager in the opposition dug-out for this game as Mark Hughes puts his unbeaten run on the line at the Britannia Stadium.

After the absence of both Gerard Houllier and Avram Grant with their respective clubs, Hughes will pit his wits against Pulis in an all-Premier League tie that both sides could probably have done without.

Stoke are expected to hand a first start to Eidur Gudjohnsen after injuries to other attacking personnel and that has guaranteed an intriguing twist to the game. Gudjohnsen was courted by Fulham prior to his move to the Potteries and even the day before Pulis completed the deal he had feared a late gazumping job from his fellow Welshman.

Fulham appear to be continuing where former manager Roy Hodgson left off, with Hughes seeming to have found some sort of solution to their previously dreadful away record. However, they are still waiting for their first win on the road in the league in more than 12 months.

Key Match-Up: Eidur Gudjohnsen v Brede Hangeland: Iceland v Norway in a duel that is likely to have a big bearing on the outcome of the result. Gudjohnsen still looked a bit off the pace in his brief cameo against West Ham, following a rigorous training regime but knows he needs to impress if he is to gain a regular place. Hangeland continues to enhance his reputation - he was excellent at Blackburn on Saturday - but struggled here last season in Stoke'e 3-2 win.

Form Guide: Stoke have settled after three successive defeats thanks to their recent home form, including a victory over Aston Villa and a draw with West Ham. The Potters have also not lost to Fulham since promotion to the Premier League. Fulham have secured three gritty draws on their travels away from Craven Cottage but thrashed Port Vale 6-0 in the previous round of the competition.

Odds: Stoke 6/5, Fulham 9/4, Draw 23/10

STOKE CITY:
Gudjohnsen has pleaded with manager Pulis to unleash him on Fulham after enduring the pain of a get-fit regime.

Stoke striker Gudjohnsen has been put through a vigorous training schedule in a bid to get his weight down. The Iceland international finally made his first appearance as a substitute in the 1-1 draw with West Ham on Saturday and Gudjohnsen, 32, wants boss Pulis to set him loose on Fulham in a bid to fire Stoke into the next round.

He said: "I hope to make a start every time and this could be the perfect game to get more minutes in. The manager knew exactly my situation when I arrived here and we've worked together on that.

"I came here without a pre-season and without training with the team, but now I would like to think I'm getting close.

"This work is not something I would want to do every time, but it's something we've needed. I have had to knuckle down on a few occasions, I must say. All the other lads have been through it and I just have to go through it in a shorter space of time.

"What motivates me is coming in on a match-day, the atmosphere and just playing in the Premier League. It's the most exciting league in the world in my opinion and I just live for the game. I wouldn't know what to do with myself at weekends if I wasn't playing football."

Strategy:
Pulis made six changes to the side that squeezed their way past Shrewsbury in the last round, and will probably do the same here. Many of his changes are enforced through injury, however, and he will surely give fringe players like Michael Tonge and Danny Pugh a chance to impress here.

The interesting piece of team selection could be the inclusion of Asmir Begovic. The Bosnia international refused to play in the game against the Shrews but looks set to be asked to make a rare appearance here, against a club that were linked with him in the summer.

Injury Update:
Kenwyne Jones is expected to miss out with the groin injury that forced his premature exit from Saturday's game while Jermaine Pennant (hamstring) and Jon Walters (ankle) are also doubtful.

FULHAM:
Hughes identified Fulham's away form as an obvious area of potential improvement when he took on the unenviable task of succeeding Roy Hodgson and, so far at least, the former Manchester City manager has effected a steady, if unspectacular improvement.

The trip to Stoke will be just as testing as the Cottagers' three previous away games this season but Hughes believes his side have already shown they are capable of getting a result on their travels.

"Historically we've not been very good on the road and a game against Blackburn was one that we invariably lost in the past, but we earned a draw and showed some good signs," Hughes told fulhamfc.com.

"It's another away point and that's three away points in three games and we remain unbeaten. We've had a good start.

"We've been to three difficult places, Bolton, Blackpool and Blackburn. They're not easy places to go but we've shown good qualities and have stood up to the challenge in all three games.

"We've come back in most of the games recently and that's a really good quality that I've been pleased to see in the team."

Hughes, meanwhile, praised the contribution of Carlos Salcido, the Mexico left back, who will fill the void left by the departure of Paul Konchesky to Liverpool.

"I was really pleased with Carlos' debut against Blackburn," Hughes added. "He hasn't had a lot of time with the team in training but obviously he very quickly understood what the game was about after a nervous couple of minutes.

"He looked like he was really enjoying himself at the end of the match and produced a great ball for the equaliser. He's going to be a really important player for us."

Strategy: Hughes has tried to inject a more positive approach which he is convinced will bear dividends. The manager wants his side to press further up the field and while that exposes the risk of space appearing between the midfield and defence, the tactic has so far been a qualified success.

"I didn't have the benefit of looking at the team in pre-season," he said. "I saw them in a friendly against Portsmouth and I felt they did a lot of good work up until a certain point. I felt that if we were a little bit more dynamic as a team and recognise when we can drive forward with the ball then that would add something to us.

"Instead of conceding ground and letting the opposition to take the initiative I wanted the team to take the initiative themselves in matches and dictate the opposition."

Injury Update: Hughes will reject the temptation to make wholesale changes as he continues to familiarise himself with his squad.

"From my point of view, as a new manager coming in, I want to see the core elements of the team play as many times as possible," he said. "That might be different for other managers of other clubs who know their teams inside out. That's a different situation. For me, it helps me if I can see the team play as many times as I can.

"Physically we recover the players as well as anybody so we never compromise a player by playing them when they're not fully recovered. I feel they can play at this time of the year and it's not an issue.

"I made the point before and after the last round against Port Vale that we're very early in the season and I don't think you need to make that many changes."

Bobby Zamora is a long term casualty, Andrew Johnson is still a month away from a return and defenders Rafik Haliche and Fredrik Stoor are both carrying groin injuries.