Stoke boss Tony Pulis has included three long-term injury victims and three deadline day signings in his 25-man squad.
Higginbotham, Fuller and Sidibe all in 25-man party
Stoke City manager Tony Pulis has included three long-term injury victims and his three deadline day signings in his 25-man squad for the first half of the Premier League season.
Experienced defender Danny Higginbotham is closing on a comeback from a knee injury, while strike duo Ricardo Fuller and Mamady Sidibe are nearing returns from Achilles problems.
Higginbotham and Fuller have both been sidelined since April, while Sidibe has not played a first-team game in over a year after suffering a fresh Achilles injury in February when making his bid for a comeback from a similar problem.
Also named in Pulis' plans for the coming months are Wednesday's arrivals Peter Crouch, Cameron Jerome and Wilson Palacios, and earlier summer signings Jonathan Woodgate and Matthew Upson.
However, Woodgate has not been included in Pulis' 23-man squad for the Europa League group phase, with Sidibe also missing out on selection.
Woodgate made his Potters debut in Europe against Hajduk Split, but Pulis wants to ensure the England centre-half is fit and available for Premier League duty.
Pulis has left the likes of Danny Collins and Danny Pugh out of his Premier League squad, with those fringe players now expected to be allowed to go out on loan.
Premier League Squad: Diego Arismendi, Asmir Begovic, Peter Crouch, Rory Delap, Salif Diao, Matthew Etherington, Ricardo Fuller, Danny Higginbotham, Robert Huth, Cameron Jerome, Kenwyne Jones, Carlo Nash, Wilson Palacios, Jermaine Pennant, Ryan Shawcross, Ryan Shotton, Mamady Sidibe, Thomas Sorensen, Matthew Upson, Jonathan Walters, Glenn Whelan, Dean Whitehead, Andy Wilkinson, Marc Wilson, Jonathan Woodgate.
