LONDON (SE) - West Ham United will be looking to pull clear of the relegation battle as they visit the Britannia Stadium to play Stoke City on Saturday afternoon.
Sam Allardyce's West Ham (8-6-13) are six points clear of the bottom three with 11 games remaining, but the Hammers will be looking to bounce back from a last-minute defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the Monday evening game of the last round of matches.
"It was a tough game and a London derby. We had other chances that, if they had gone in, would have made it 3-1 and then you are looking at a different game," said centre-back James Collins in an interview with the club's official website. "It is gutting when you are only minutes away from getting something, but we were strong on Monday night and that gives us plenty of confidence and belief going to Stoke on Saturday.
"We are looking up and onwards. There are more tough matches coming up, but we have a great squad and great team spirit. We have to go to Stoke and give it a good go, and I feel we have more than enough in the team to do that. The way we started the season showed what we are capable of. We are training hard, we want to win every game and that is no different against Stoke, who we know will be tough on their own ground, but I strongly believe if we keep playing the way we are playing, the results will come."
Saturday's hosts Stoke (7-12-8) are three points above the Hammers and feel that they have just enough to stay out of trouble. Despite a relatively disappointing season, manager Tony Pulis this week thanked his board for sticking by him - at a time when other Premier League managers are not getting the same treatment.
"Every manager has a different relationship with chairmen," said Pulis. "I have had different relationships with other chairmen at other clubs to what I have got with Peter Coates.
"The relationship between yourself and the person who runs the club is paramount to how the football club really projects itself. As a manager, I am extremely lucky here. Other managers are not so lucky."
Stoke have doubts over Matthew Etherington (back) and Michael Owen (hip), while the Hammers have concerns over Kevin Nolan (ankle), Mark Noble (elbow), James Tomkins (illness) and George McCartney (knee).
West Ham have lost four of their last five league games, and have the worst away goal-scoring record in the top-flight - managing just eight goals in 13 matches on the road.
The Potters have won just one of their last eight games, and have picked up fewer points since Boxing Day (five) than any other club in the Premier League.
The teams drew 1-1 back in November, with the most surprising stat of the game being just the single yellow card dished out in the game involving the two most booked sides in the Premier League this season.
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