STOKE CITY return to the "bread and butter" of the Barclays Premier League on Wednesday evening . . . but manager Tony Pulis is warning that they will be facing a cup final when they take on Burnley.

City's manager points to the Club's home matches at the backend of last season to give his players an idea of the challenge they will face in taking on strugglers Burnley at Turf Moor as they look to bounce back from the FA Cup quarter final defeat at Chelsea.

The Lancashire club produced some excellent home results in the early part of the Premier League campaign and it is their form at Turf Moor which will hold the key to their survival hopes.

"Their home games will be like cup finals, just as they were for us here at the Britannia Stadium last season when we needed the points to climb to safety," said Pulis. "So, we know it's going to be a very tough match for us and therefore we have to show the right attitude.

"The glamour and gloss of the FA Cup has gone now, so it's back to the bread and butter of the Premier League, and it's very important that we get the points on the board now to secure our place in this League for another season, and we get them as quickly as possible. People are saying that we are safe, but I won't be happy until we have got to that 40-point mark."

He added: "It can change so quickly. Look at Bolton, it's not so long ago that they were in the mire, yet six points from two wins later and everyone is saying they're safe.

"So we have to be very wary of the fact that it can soon change the other way too, and we have a tough run-in to the end of the season, especially when you consider that our last three matches are Chelsea away, Everton at home and then Manchester United away."

Pulis believes that Burnley could follow his own side's example by defying the odds and avoiding an immediate return to the Championship at the end of this season.

"There's a tremendous atmosphere at Turf Moor and because this is all fresh and new, like it was for us last season, they will keep going right to the end," he commented.

"Of the teams that have come up this season, Birmingham are safe and that's a fantastic achievement by Alex McLeish and the team. But what Wolves and Burnley will be hoping is that they can pick up enough home wins. That is the big thing for them because it is very difficult to pick up results away from home in this league. The home form is so, so important."

Pulis admitted that he will wait until the last minute to finalise his side for the game in the hope that a number of injury doubts may recover in time to play a part.

"At this moment in time, I honestly don't know what my side will be," he added. "One or two will undergo late fitness tests in the hope we can get them on the pitch."

While Ryan Shawcross is suspended, the long list of injury concerns includes Glenn Whelan, Danny Higginbotham, Matthew Etherington, James Beattie and Salif Diao.