Begovic to make debut

You can't request more than 20 challenges without solving them. Your previous challenges were flushed.

By Michael Baggaley | Published: Wednesday 10 Feb 2010 |

Feb10

by Michael Baggaley
michael.baggaley@thesentinel.co.uk

NEW £3.25m signing Asmir Begovic will play his first game in a Stoke shirt tonight as the reserves take on Arsenal at Nantwich Town (7pm).

The goalkeeper joined City from Portsmouth on transfer deadline day last week and has been on the bench for Stoke's Premier League games against Blackburn and Wigan.

But fans will get their first chance to see the 22-year-old in action tonight as City field a mixture of youth and experience.

Uruguay international senior pros Diego Arismendi, Andrew Davies and Amdy Faye are also included.

Stoke: Begovic, Sinclair, Hedley, Arismendi, Cohen, Davies, Lund, Am Faye, Wedderburn, Moult, Unwin. Subs: Vickers, St Louis Hamilton, Stockhall, Jackson, Mitchell.

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Other recent Stoke City news...

Martin Smith: Life is good following Stoke (Thu, 11/02/2010 - 10:00)
Robbie Earle: Midfield key to Stoke cup success (Thu, 11/02/2010 - 09:55)
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having looked at tonights

Submitted by cheekysi on Wed, 10/02/2010 - 17:01.

having looked at tonights team against arsenal and the bench last night against wigan it now seems that steve simonsen is gonna be left in the wilderness at stoke. maybe he will now become a "high profile" loan player goin away from the club.....

After Fulham

Submitted by LondonJamie on Thu, 11/02/2010 - 02:23.

He'll never play again....

Simonson

Submitted by Foster on Thu, 11/02/2010 - 12:16.

Yep,

his days are numbered, but i guess he knew that already once TP announced that he was looking for a new keeper.

although i definately wouldn't say that he's a 'high profile' player. I expect that he'll be loaned out or sold in the summer, unless Sorenson leaves in which case Simonsen will be nbr 2 behind Begovic.

If...

Submitted by LondonJamie on Thu, 11/02/2010 - 12:30.

I've got a feeling that if Sorro goes at the end of the season, TP will have another crack at getting James on board. Simonson will definitely go one way or the other.

v Man City

Submitted by Foster on Thu, 11/02/2010 - 12:36.

TP could go for James next week if Pompey don't exist anymore.

Anyway, i wanted to give my line up for the FA Cup Man City game:

Soro, Wilko, Higgy, Huth and Ryan
Ethers, Delap, Whitehead, Lawro
Beattie, Sidibe

You may wonder why i've started with the these two strikers, this is to knock their defenders around a bit and tire them out.

I would bring on Fuller for Beattie and Tuncay for Lawrence at half time, switching Whitehead or Delap to the right hand side and playing Tunny as an attacking central midfielder.

Obviously all this depends on how the game pans out but i think Fuller and Tuncay would be more effective not playing the entire 90 minutes. it would also keep them fresher for the league match a few days later.

Saturday line up

Submitted by LondonJamie on Thu, 11/02/2010 - 13:05.

...if true to previous FA Cup form, TP will be more attacking than in League matches...

Sorro
Wilko Huth Shawcross Higgy
Tunny Delap Whitehead Etherington
Sidibe Fuller

With Beattie on for Mama at some point in the second half.....

Cup or League?...

Submitted by Foster on Thu, 11/02/2010 - 14:30.

If you had to choose...and no you cannot select both...

Would you rather take a win in the cup or 3 points in the league, vs Man City?..

League. Stay focused.

Submitted by LondonJamie on Thu, 11/02/2010 - 15:22.

League. Stay focused.

I agree - above all focus on the League

Submitted by NicB on Thu, 11/02/2010 - 19:15.

We have a difficult run in compared to other teams - with both Chelsea and Man Utd away as two of our last three games. So we need to get to 40 points asap (as TP has said) and be 10 points clear of the relegation zone before the last three games.- i.e. in two months time in mid April. The last thing we need is extra time and/or replays in FA Cup matches that result in tiredness and/or injuries to our key players - and then our League performance suffers at a critical time in the season.