by Martin Spinks
martin.spinks@thesentinel.co.uk

PREVIOUS MEETING
Premier League – February 7, 2009
SUNDERLAND 2
(Jones 78, Healy 90)
STOKE CITY 0
Stoke lost three players in the first half, one in the second and two goals in the last quarter-of-an-hour en route to registering their 10th defeat in 13 away games.
Ricardo Fuller’s was the worst of the first-half injuries after dislocating his shoulder, while Etherington’s 65th-minute dismissal for a petulant off-the-ball kick further weakened Stoke’s hand.
An unpunished save on the line from Danny Pugh kept Stoke in it before Kenwyne Jones and David Healy eventually killed off a City side in which Stephen Kelly made his debut.

Sunderland: Fulop, Bardsley, McCartney, Collins, Ferdinand, Malbranque (Edwards,70), Whitehead, Richardson, Reid (Murphy, 82), Jones, Cisse (Healy,86).
Stoke: Sorensen, Wilkinson (Pugh,18), Kelly, Shawcross (Sonko,26), Ab Faye, Cresswell, Diao, Whelan, Etherington, Beattie, Fuller (Camara,30).
Attendance: 38,350.

FORM GUIDE
Stoke: LWLDW
Sunderland: LWLWW

WHO WE’D LIKE TO SIGN
Kenwyne Jones, according to some reports, but would they part company with last week’s two-goal match-winner right now?

WHO TO BOO
No-one. Given recent history, just about any Sunderland player could one day end up wearing the red and white of Stoke.

MAN IN THE MIDDLE
Howard Webb (Yorkshire). Officially our best referee right now, Stoke won two (Blackburn and Hull) and drew one (Aston Villa) under his stewardship last season.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS
Stoke: Sorensen, Wilkinson, Higginbotham, Shawcross, Ab Faye, Lawrence, Whelan, Delap, Etherington, Kitson, Fuller.
Sunderland: Fulop, Bardsley, Ferdinand, Collins, McCartney, Malbranque, Cana, Cattermole, Richardson, Jones, Bent.

PREDICTION
Darren Bent infuriates home crowd with the opening goal, but Fuller nets in goalmouth scramble for 1-1.