Stoke City v Everton - Follow LIVE text commentary

01 May 2010 15:00
Stoke City v Everton

Follow every kick as Stoke City take on Everton at Britannia Stadium in the Premier League
on 01-May-2010, kick off time 15:00

Stoke City v Everton Live


Stoke City welcome Everton to the Britannia Stadium on Saturday and it is the visitors that have more to play for as they look to end their Premier League campaign with a flourish. The Merseyside outfit currently sit in eighth position and are five points adrift of fierce rivals Liverpool so their Europa League qualification dream is hanging by the merest of threads. They need to win their final two games and hope the Reds succumb in their remaining fixtures to nail a continental place and, although the chances are slim, manager David Moyes will want to keep the ball rolling with a win over Stoke. But Tony Pulis' well-drilled outfit will be no pushovers on home soil and he will want his men to put last weekend's disaster at Chelsea to bed. His side were thumped 7-0 at the title-chasers and, although the Potters looked like they were on their summer holidays early, Pulis will want to put on a show in their final home game of a successful season that sees them sit in mid-table. Stoke have won just two of their previous nine league games while Everton are unbeaten in nine. The Toffees' Europa League charge has slowed after three successive draws against Wolverhampton Wanderers, West Ham United and Aston Villa recently but triumphs over Bolton Wanderers, Manchester City, Blackburn Rovers and Fulham last weekend have kept them in the hunt. Stoke goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen, who injured his elbow in the build up to Chelsea's second goal last Sunday, will be out for the remainder of the season and he is Pulis' only concern. Everton trio John Heitinga, Marouane Fellaini (both ankle) and Dan Gosling (knee ligament) will all return in the lead-up to next season. At Goodison Park last October, the two teams played out a 1-1 draw. Robert Huth's header put the visitors in front on 50 minutes but, soon after, diminutive midfielder Leon Osman curled home a sumptuous 25-yarder to equalise and claim a point for his side.

Source: DSG