Stoke boss Tony Pulis reveals some positive injury news and his confidence of survival in his latest chat with TEAMtalk's Insider Mark Holmes

The Premier League season is 25 games old and our Insider has been in and out of the Britannia Stadium all season to find out how Stoke have been coping with life back in the top flight.

The Potters now face 13 more games that will decide their fate and Mark will be speaking to Pulis on a weekly basis as the Welshman bids to keep intact his proud record of never having been relegated as a manager.

And in this week's interview Pulis revealed he was confident of doing just that.

"To be out of the bottom three given the run of games we've had is very pleasing," said the City chief. "We've put ourselves in a good position and now it's important we push on for these last 13 games.

"I'm looking forward to it. There's a lot of points still to play for and we've got to stick together but the points are there for the taking and survival is up for grabs. It's going to be very exciting but we're in a smashing position."

The battle to avoid the drop this season is arguably the tightest the Premier League has ever seen and Pulis admits he is delighted to see so many sides still involved.

However he denies the Potters have an advantage due to a fixture list that has handed them seven clashes against relegation rivals, five of those coming at home, insisting every game between now and the end of the season will be tough.

"It has surprised me that there's so many clubs so close at the bottom," he said. "I thought there might be a bottom group but I didn't realise it would stretch nearly halfway up the table.

"But all 13 games are just as key. Every game has been a cup final since the first day so I don't believe some are more important than others. And we've already taken points off Liverpool, Arsenal and Aston Villa, games you wouldn't have given us a hope in hell in, so anything is possible.

"Every game in this league is difficult and every opposition throws up different challenges. A lot of the teams we'll play against will be fighting for their lives too and if we're not right for every game then we won't get the results.

"Nothing is easy at this level, there are no easy games but we've just got to look after ourselves, prepare properly and get in the right frame of mind.

"We've just got to make sure we get enough points and everyone's got to keep their nerve and be patient because I don't care if those points come in the last six games as long as they come."

Pulis also revealed the club's injury troubles are finally easing, with Mama Sidibe, Liam Lawrence, Danny Higginbotham, Ryan Shawcross and Andy Wilkinson all fit for Saturday's clash with Portsmouth. Stephen Kelly, however, is a doubt after picking up a hamstring injury on duty with the Republic of Ireland.

Matthew Etherington and Rory Delap are definitely out of the game through suspension but Ricardo Fuller is making speedy progress in his recovery from a dislocated shoulder and Pulis should soon be able to pick from a full-strength squad.

He said: "It's crucial that you keep your squad fit and keep your most important players on the pitch and we've been striving to do that all season. We've been a bit unfortunate with one or two injuries such as Mama's, but there's 13 games to go now and we're focused on them.

"We've got Mama and Liam vying for places now and with Matthew suspended those two come into contention. If we play them on Saturday then we'll see how they are but you never know with players coming back from injury.

"Unfortunately we've not been able to get games in for them and even a practice match we arranged last week was called off because the pitch was frozen. It's been disappointing, but they've looked bright enough in training.

"We've also had Ricardo back training this week. We were very concerned with his injury after the Sunderland game but it's not as bad as we first thought.

"I went away to watch a game and thought he'd been to Lourdes when I came back because one day I see him and he's gone for three years and then suddenly he's running around the training ground.

"It looks like we'll have him back in couple of weeks and that will be a massive bonus for us."