Stoke manager Tony Pulis believes this season's battle for Barclays Premier League survival will involve more teams than ever before.

Pulis accepts his own side and tomorrow's opponents Birmingham are likely to be among those in the mix in the closing weeks of the campaign.

But he will be surprised if any clubs are cast adrift and is tipping a mass scrap to avoid relegation.

Pulis said: "I can see the Premier League being more competitive than ever this season and everyone has a chance of staying up.

"Certain teams have that bit more than the rest of us, but I can see the bottom half of the table being very tight indeed.

"There will be clubs who a lot of people will tip to go down, but hardly anyone gave us a chance last season and we proved you can survive against the odds."

Pulis has warned his players they face a tough afternoon ahead at St Andrews after promoted Birmingham got off the mark by beating Portsmouth on Wednesday.

Stoke were suffering a 4-0 hammering at Liverpool at the same time, and Pulis said: "It will be difficult for us for a few reasons and we've got to make sure our players are up for the battle and have their minds 100 per cent right.

"Birmingham won with a last-minute penalty so their players and fans will have been on a real high when they came away on Wednesday night.

"I thought we were unfortunate to lose by the margin we did at Liverpool, but we can't deny the fact that we've been licking our wounds.

"Playing the big teams like Liverpool also takes a lot out of the players, both mentally and physically.

"There is the excitement of the occasion and all the hullabaloo that goes with playing against one of the best club sides in the world."

Pulis does draw some comfort from the fact tomorrow's match is almost a derby, and he is looking forward to another "cracking occasion".

He prepared his players with a training session this afternoon and took them away for the night, despite making a trip of just 40 miles down the M6.

Pulis added: "We put a lot into our preparation for every game. I left the players alone for a couple of days after Liverpool, but we now have to work hard to make sure their heads are just right.

"It will be a fantastic atmosphere with both sets of supporters really up for it. That should help the players because I certainly relished derby matches in my playing days."

The Stoke boss has been impressed with the way Alex McLeish has added to his squad, and picked out James McFadden as a player who could pose a particular threat.

He said: "McFadden has been playing very well for Birmingham and for Scotland. The lad (Sebastian) Larsson is also a good player and the front two of (Cameron) Jerome and (Garry) O'Connor are big and strong.

"Alex has also brought in some players who are very experienced at the top level and I think that will be important for them."

Dean Whitehead, the former Sunderland captain, remains Stoke's only major summer signing to date after he failed in an attempt to bring in West Ham defender James Collins.

A fee in the region of £4million was agreed between the clubs, but the transfer stalled over personal terms, and Pulis admitted: "I'm hoping and praying we can bring in a few new faces because we need them to liven it up.

"I can't fault the effort and commitment of the players we have, but they would like to see the squad freshened up themselves."