Tony Pulis has told TEAMtalk's Insider Mark Holmes of his respect for Tony Mowbray and played down Stoke's apparent hoodoo over West Brom.

Pulis takes his side to The Hawthorns on Saturday knowing a first away win in the Premier League would put his side in an extremely strong position to avoid relegation back to the Championship, while West Brom know defeat would all but seal their fate.

Stoke boast a record against Albion that reads just one defeat in 24 league games but Pulis is refusing to take anything for granted ahead of Saturday's clash.

"Records won't mean anything when we kick-off at The Hawthorns on Saturday.

"It's been fantastic to get good results against them in recent years, but there have been no easy games along the way.

"I've got a lot of respect for their football club and Tony (Mowbray) has added massively to their squad since they got promoted.

"We are preparing for a very tough game because that is what it is certain to be.

"The most important thing is that we approach it in the right way and do what we're good at.

And Pulis believes all three promoted sides - Stoke, West Brom and Hull - can all be proud to retain hopes of survival at this late stage of the campaign.

He added: "I'm very pleased that the three of us are still fighting because it's a massive, massive step when you come up from the Championship.

"Everything is different, on and off the field, and it's a big learning curve for us all.

"There may be only eight games left, but the biggest part of the season is still in front of us and it's all to play for.

"It's incredibly exciting with 10 or 11 teams still not safe and we think we are ready for the challenge."

Stoke are no longer among the three favourites for the drop but Pulis is well aware that his side are still very much in the relegation dogfight, particularly if their wait for an away win goes on.

He said: "We're the same as every other team in the bottom 10, we're fighting for our lives and we've got eight games to get as many points as we can.

"We've still got the biggest part of the season ahead of us and we have to approach that in the right way mentally and physically.

"Our plan for the West Brom game is to win, let's go there and give it our best shot. If we get the three points we'll be absolutely delighted but we know it will be a tough game."

Pulis has seen four of his stars away on international duty over the past fortnight and the Welshman has admitted to his concern over the fitness of Senegal star Abdoulaye Faye.

Pulis said: "Abby has flown half way around the world to play a friendly in Iran and that worries me. We just have to hope it hasn't taken too much out of him.

"His ability and experience at this level has been very important for us and we are hoping he will be okay."

Faye's central defensive partner Ryan Shawcross was forced to cry off from England Under-21 duty because of growing pains, but he will start at The Hawthorns.

Pulis added: "We have to be very careful with Ryan because he's still growing and that has led to a few problems in recent months.

"People are giving him a lot of praise, and rightly so, but he still has a lot to learn. His positional play could be better and we have to accept he is going to make mistakes.

"Having said that, he has all the attributes to become a top player."