Stoke won't rule out Etherington and Huth
Tony Pulis has revealed that he won't give up hope of having Matthew Etherington and Robert Huth available to choose from for Saturday's FA Cup Final and will leave the decision as to whether either are fit enough to take a place in the matchday squad as late as possible.
Stoke are [3.1] to stun Manchester City at Wembley by taking home the trophy, and an even bigger price of [4.6] is offered on them winning in 90 minutes, however the Potters will be far more confident of pulling off an upset if two of their most important players recover from injuries in time.
Etherington was named the man of the match in their staggering 5-0 semi-final success against Bolton and is battling to return from a layoff with a torn hamstring, while Huth - who joined him on the scoresheet last month - has been sidelined with a knee problem.
Besides the minor headache of establishing who to select on Saturday, Pulis is in hugely proud right now after opponents Manchester City's 1-0 victory over Tottenham on Tuesday night confirmed that Stoke will be competing in the Europa League next season regardless of who claims the cup.
It's an achievement that will ensure that the Potters arrive in the capital in just as high spirits and they are carrying plenty of momentum, having gone five games unbeaten and avoided defeat in each of their last four clashes with the Citizens, two of which occurred in last year's FA Cup.
That ability to avoid letting their cup run affect their Premier League form is undoubtedly a factor in their price of [1.26] to hold onto a top-half spot in their final two fixtures away to Manchester City and at home to Wigan, which they enter in eighth, two points clear of 11th-placed Newcastle.
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Published: 11 May 2011
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