TONY PULIS made four changes to the Stoke City side for his 300th game in charge . . . after skipper Abdoulaye Faye was ruled out of the Blackburn Rovers match with a back injury.
Pulis stuck with the defensive formation that finished the goalless draw at Sunderland on Monday evening with Andy Wilkinson in the starting line-up and Robert Huth in the centre of defence.
In the middle of the park, City's boss recalled Liam Lawrence wide on the right and Rory Delap in a central role which meant that Glenn Whelan and Salif Diao dropped to the substitute's bench.
Ricardo Fuller was recalled in attack at the expense of Turkish international Tuncay, while new £3.25million goalkeeper Asmir Begovic was included among the Potters' substitutes.
CITY (4-4-2): Sorensen; Wilkinson, Shawcross, Huth, Higginbotham; Lawrence, Whitehead, Delap, Etherington; Sidibe, Fuller. Subs: Begovic, Collins, Whelan, Beattie, Tuncay, Pugh, Diao.
ROVERS (4-4-2): Robinson; Chimbonda, Samba, Nelsen, Givet; Emerton, N'Zonzi, Gamst Pedersen, Olsson; Di Santo, Kalinic. Subs: Brown, Roberts, Reid, Andrews, Diouf, Hoilett, Salgado.
REFEREE: Steven Bennett.
