Tim Krul: “They will try and rough me up.
“It is a unique pressure they bring for any goalkeeper, especially with (Rory) Delap’s throw ins.
"But I am lucky that we have Andy Carroll who is a great header of the ball and he will be there to help me. I will just have to be prepared for what Stoke throw at me.
“I’m strong enough to look after myself.
"Everyone knows English football. It is always kick and rush, they say, but I have to be ready for the knocks and I have to give some to them as well.
“I’ve got to be prepared for everything.
"Paul Barron said to me this morning, ‘don’t just focus on the throw-ins, it is going to come from everywhere’. And every ball is a single ball. Say if you catch nine throw-ins, the tenth is a different ball again. So you just have to stay focused for 90 minutes.”
“I did not play many games last season, but Steve has been really good to me saying how patient he has had to be.
"It is easier being patient when you are 22, because there are many years to come for me. To get the nod now is great.
"It is nice to know it is not just one game in two or three months. It is nice I can show people what I can do over a longer period, not just the odd game in the Cup.
“This is what I have been waiting for. You never want Harps to get a bad injury, but you hope sometimes he will miss the odd game now and then.
“He would say the same thing because he has been in a similar situation himself.
“He always says to me, ‘just be ready’, and before the season he said to me, ‘I have not been injured for three years, so it is going to come’. You just have to stay sharp waiting for that moment.
“As a goalkeeper, of course you want to play games, but you never want to see your rival badly injured. Maybe a knock or a heavy cold, but you do not want to see him get a bad injury.
“I went to Falkirk first which was a great experience for me because it was out of the way in Scotland. I made my mistakes and I learnt from my experience so it was very useful.
“I lost to Celtic, lost to Rangers. I’ve done those games. I was 18, 19 at the time, it did me the world of good to have that experience and then I went to Carlisle for two months.
“That also shaped me. It was also a great experience because you are seeing another side.”