Squad sheets: West Ham United v Stoke City

There may never be a good time to meet sock-it-to-'em Stoke, but for West Ham now seems as good as any. Amid a clutter of cup ties Avram Grant's side have lost only once in five league matches while Tony Pulis's team have won one in five. West Ham forced a 1-1 draw at the Britannia Stadium in September and their goalscorer that day, Scott Parker, remains their best hope of avoiding relegation. West Ham's defence is looking more resilient but will need its ARP hats to counter the visitor's usual aerial bombardment. David Lacey Venue Upton Park Tickets £9-£36 (0871 222 2700) Last season West Ham 0 Stoke 1 Referee A Marriner This season's matches 19 Y 67, R 2, 3.63 cards per game Odds W Ham 23-20 Stoke 21-10 Draw 11-5 West Ham Subs from Boffin, Reid, Gabbidon, Spector, Faubert, Da Costa, Barrera, Boa Morte, Kovac, Cole, Sears, Hines, Obinna Doubtful Obinna (ankle), Upson (achilles) Injured Dyer (hamstring, 19 Mar), Keane (calf, 19 Mar), Stanislas (groin, 19 Mar), Kurucz (knee, Aug) Suspended None Form guide WDLWDL Disciplinary record Y47 R1 Leading scorer Piquionne 6 Stoke Subs from Sorensen, Higginbotham, Etherington, Jones, Faye, Wilkinson, Fuller Doubtful Pennant (hamstring), Faye (hamstring), Etherington (back) Injured Sidibe, (achilles, Aug) Suspended None Form guide DLLWLL Disciplinary record Y50 R2 Leading scorer Huth 6 Match pointers • West Ham have been caught offside 92 times this season, more than any other top-flight team • Stoke are the only Premier League side not to have scored in the opening 15 minutes of a match • Kenwyne Jones has scored three times in his last five starts against the hosts • The last three goals West Ham have scored against Stoke have come between the 32nd and 34th minutes • Stoke have lost all of their last five away league fixtures and failed to score in each of the last four