Stoke City vs Fulham preview - Pulis wary of Fulham strikeforce

Posted Saturday, October 15, 2011 by PA

Stoke boss Tony Pulis has warned his defenders they will be coming up against one of the best strike partnerships in the Barclays Premier League when Fulham visit the Britannia Stadium.

Bobby Zamora and Andy Johnson have scored a combined 14 goals in all competitions so far this season, with the latter hitting in hat-trick in the 6-0 hammering of west London rivals QPR last time out.

The pair will be looking to continue that impressive form, especially with a possible place in England's Euro 2012 team up for grabs following UEFA's decision to hand Wayne Rooney a three-match ban for his red card in Montenegro.

"Johnson and Zamora are as good as anything in the Premier League on their day," Pulis said.

"Zamora is a very, very good player, a very good hold-up player and he can score goals as well. Johnson is bright, clever and very quick, he's always scored goals. It's going to be a tough game for us."

Pulis admitted he was a particular admirer of Zamora, who is definitely on England manager Fabio Capello's radar after having being included in the squad for the Montenegro game.

Johnson has been out of the international picture since 2007 following a succession of injury setbacks.

"I knew Bob when he started off, at Brighton, Bristol Rovers," the Potters chief added. "I've seen Bobby come through his career and it was lovely to see him get selected the other week for England as well."

Zamora's and Johnson's goals have helped Martin Jol's side recover from a slow start to the season and they are unbeaten since August, including games against Manchester City and Chelsea.

Pulis is waiting to see whether winger Matthew Etherington is fit after having a sugar injection in his back in a bid to cure a hamstring problem.

Kenwyne Jones, Jermaine Pennant and Marc Wilson are also doubtful, while Wilson Palacios, Ricardo Fuller and Danny Higginbotham are definitely out.

Fulham manager Martin Jol would be pleased to come away from Stoke with a goalless draw.

The Cottagers head into the match on the back of their first Premier League win of the season, having hammered near neighbours QPR 6-0 before the two-week international break.

And while Jol believes the result has raised confidence within the camp, he admits it will be tough to get a result at the Britannia Stadium.

So much so, in fact, that he revealed that sneaking a 0-0 draw would represent a good day at the office for his side.

"We have to play our own game like we did, for example, against Newcastle," he said.

"Then, a couple of weeks ago, I think we had the initiative for most of the game against West Bromwich.

"It was the same but we couldn't score although I thought we were the better team.

"It was a 0-0 there and I think a 0-0 at Stoke would be a good result.

"But I still hope that with the confidence we have got we are capable of scoring a couple of goals."

Fulham grabbed a surprise 2-0 win at the Britannia Stadium last season, with Chris Baird grabbing both goals.

Former Tottenham manager Jol has never faced Stoke during his managerial career but knows what to expect in the Potteries.

"There are a few things [that can help break them down]," he said.

"Last year we had a good result there. We defended and scored two goals through Chris Baird.

"It was a very good performance and probably the turning point for Fulham last season.

"But, as everybody knows, Stoke away is a difficult game.

"They have the same problem as we have in Europe. They are very good team with different qualities.

"They have (Peter) Crouch up front now who is a target and an outlet with their throw-ins too.

"They are quite a physical team that can play as well so it is a good team."

Fulham will be boosted by the return of defender Aaron Hughes from a groin injury for the trip to the Britannia Stadium, although Jol concedes several first-team players will miss out.

Defender Hughes has recovered from a groin injury and is available for selection, but Philippe Senderos (thigh), Bryan Ruiz (knee) and Kerim Frei (ankle) are all out.

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