Stoke v Reading. Match preview

Last updated : 23 September 2008 By Angus Muller

Stoke boss Tony Pulis will ring the changes for Tuesday night's Carling Cup third-round tie at home to Reading.

Ricardo Fuller, who only played as a late substitute after picking up a bug before Saturday's draw at Liverpool, may play part of Tuesday's game, otherwise Tony Pulis will field a largely second string side.

Two players who will not feature are midfielders Michael Tonge and Tom Soares, who are cup-tied having featured in the competition already this season for Sheffield United and Crystal Palace respectively.

Reading manager Steve Coppell is set to make wholesale changes.

After the farcical 2-2 draw at Watford on Saturday, Coppell pledged to rest the majority of his first team, and former Stoke midfielder Brynjar Gunnarsson could feature for the first time since January.

Gunnarsson has been out with a serious knee injury but after several reserve outings he is ready for a recall while Kalifa Cisse will also start after his toe injury.

Captain Graeme Murty has suffered another setback to his comeback from a calf injury and will not be fit until next month while Czech Republic midfielder Marek Matejovsky is definitely out as he continues his rehabilitation from a knee injury.

Defender Michael Duberry remains a few weeks away from a return after a calf injury and Coppell admitted that Noel Hunt should not have played against Watford as he was suffering with the same illness that had struck Ivar Ingimarsson.

Youngsters Julian Kelly, James Henry, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Scott Golbourne could all feature but Chris Armstrong is cup-tied.

Stoke (from): Simonsen, Wilkinson, Shawcross, Buxton, Dickinson, Cresswell, Whelan, Pugh, Pericard, Fuller, Matteo, Phillips, De Laet, Wedderburn, Grocott.