The influential striker, whose 15 goals this term led to a debut England cap against France, has managed just three goalless appearances since that mid-November friendly defeat at Wembley.
A hamstring injury sustained after just eight minutes of the npower Championship draw against Preston on December 4 has kept Bothroyd sidelined for a lot longer than initially expected. But the 28-year-old could well find himself in Cardiff's matchday 18 in the Welsh capital as the Bluebirds look to set up a fourth-round meeting with either Wolves or Doncaster, who also meet in a third-round replay on Tuesday night.
"Jay's been training for a few days now so we'll assess him tomorrow morning (Tuesday) and then I'll pick my team once I know about all the other little niggles we've got," said Jones.
Bothroyd spent one month on loan at the Britannia Stadium from then employers Wolves in spring 2008, making a total of four appearances for the Potters.
He missed the initial 1-1 FA Cup draw in Staffordshire earlier this month - as did another ex-City striker, Jon Parkin, who was struggling with a slight knee strain at the time following his January switch from Preston. But with 'The Beast' making a goalscoring debut for the Bluebirds in Saturday's 1-1 draw at Norwich, both strikers could well come back to haunt Stoke boss Tony Pulis.
With no major injury concerns, Jones' line-up is certain to be very similar to that which ran Stoke close at the Britannia Stadium, with Craig Bellamy likely rested again so as not to aggravate his troublesome knee problems.
Meanwhile, Pulis has no doubts Stoke will secure a place in the fourth round if his side stand firm in the face of an expected City onslaught. The City boss is naturally disappointed to be heading to the Welsh capital for a third-round replay, believing his players should have clinched a place in the last 32 nine days ago, only to be held to a 1-1 draw.
The additional road trip is far from welcome either as the visit to Cardiff begins a run that sees them play five of the next six games away from the Britannia Stadium. That could become six from seven should Stoke win as they will travel to either Wolves or Doncaster in the next round, all in the space of 36 days.
So it is a case of ploughing on and Pulis said: "I'm absolutely gutted the result wasn't achieved in the first game for everyone's sake because we have such a busy programme coming up again.
"It is crazy the way the fixtures have been drawn as we only have two games in March. It is ridiculous, but there we are."
Knowing his side only have themselves to blame for not finishing off Cardiff on home soil, Pulis added: "I thought there was only one team in the first game to be honest. I thought they did well in the first half, then in the second half I felt it was just a matter of time before we would pull away, but it wasn't to be.
"We hit the bar twice, had numerous other chances, and I cannot really recall them causing us too many problems at all after they scored early on. Now we face a tough game because I'm sure they will put out a strong team, they will have the full backing of their supporters and they will throw everything at us.
"That is what happens in the FA Cup. They will believe they have done the hard work by taking us back to their place. It means we will have to stand firm and play our normal game. If we do that I believe we will get the result we want and secure ourselves a spot in the next round."
Striker Ricardo Fuller comes back into contention after missing Saturday's 2-0 win over Bolton due to a family bereavement. Eidur Gudjohnsen remains doubtful with a neck injury, while fellow forward Mamady Sidibe remains sidelined as he continues to recover from an Achilles problem.
Source: DSG
