TONY PULIS today outlined Stoke City's plan to progress further in the Europa League . . . as he emphasised the need to manage his squad carefully through the demanding run of fixtures over the next few weeks.
Pulis will leave a number of key players with fitness concerns at home when City make the long trip to take on Ukrainian giants Dynamo Kiev this Thursday in the first of their six matches in the Group Stage of the Europa League.
City's manager is "comfortable and happy" that he is taking a squad capable of competing with a club who have an excellent European pedigree, but he admitted: "Winning our home games will be the key to us going further.
"We've got a plan, and just like it was in our first season in the Premier League, it is to make sure we do well in our home games.
"I think if we win our three matches here at this stage of the competition, then we'll qualify. That's the plan, but it doesn't mean that we won't go on these long, long trips and give it our best shot to try and pick up some points."
He added: "I will still be taking team that I consider strong enough to compete and give some of the other players in the squad who have not had the opportunities so far this season a chance to stake their claim for a place."
Pulis described the 11,000 miles which City will have to cover over the three away trips in the Group as "absolutely horrendous."
He commented: "We have certainly drawn the short straw when you think we could have been going to places like Paris and Madrid, but nevertheless we are still looking forward to what will be a fantastic experience.
"The important thing is that we manage the situation very carefully, and in this instance we will not be taking one or two players whose current condition would not make it ideal for them to be going on two long journeys.
"If all the players were fit, then they would all be desperate to go. But we have to think about the other matches coming up as well. It's not a bad run of games we've got, is it? After Liverpool, we have Dynamo Kiev, Sunderland, Tottenham Hotspur and then Manchester United. It's what everybody aspires to."
Pulis revealed that defender Jonathan Woodgate, who has been omitted from his Europa League squad, wanted to play in the Barclays Premier League match against Liverpool at the weekend after undergoing a fitness test.
"We didn't think he was quite right so we pulled him out to make sure that he would be ready for Sunderland," he said. "Had he played with a little niggle, then it could have sidelined him for a few weeks, but if we manage his fitness carefully, then I am sure he will play a lot of Premier League games for us this season.
"That is the way we have to manage the fitness of the players and so there will be one or two who won't travel to Kiev so that we can concentrate on getting them right as well for the visit to Sunderland on Sunday."
City's manager did confirm that Thomas Sorensen will start in Kiev, while Glenn Whelan and Kenwyne Jones, who were rested after international duty, are also likely to feature in the changes to be made to his side.
With doubts over Matthew Etherington (back), Marc Wilson (hamstring) and Rory Delap (groin), City's two deadline day signings Wilson Palacios and Cameron Jerome are also in contention for places in the Europa tie.
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