Stoke to carry out fitness tests on five players

Stoke boss Tony Pulis will check on the condition of a host of players ahead of Sunday’s Barclays Premier League clash at Sunderland.

Several squad members did not travel to Ukraine for this week’s Europa League game against Dynamo Kiev, with record signing Peter Crouch staying at home as a precaution after missing training, and Matthew Etherington (back), Rory Delap (groin) and Marc Wilson (hamstring) also absent from the trip.

That quartet and Jonathan Woodgate, who is not registered for the Potters’ European campaign and has been working to shake off a minor injury, are among those that will be assessed, while goalkeeper Asmir Begovic – rested for the Dynamo game – is expected to return in place of Thomas Sorensen.

Provisional squad: Begovic, Wilson, Huth, Shawcross, Upson, Wilkinson, Whelan, Whitehead, Diao, Etherington, Walters, Jones, Sorensen, Shotton, Arismendi, Woodgate, Pennant, Delap, Crouch, Palacios, Jerome.