by Martin Spinks

STOKE City's defensive kingpin Abdoulaye Faye is quietly confident of conquering a groin injury in time for Sunday's sell-out against Tottenham.

The 30-year-old centre-half, arguably City's player-of-the-season so far, has been under treatment since returning to the club from international duty in Senegal on Tuesday.

But he hopes the extra day's rest ahead of Sunday's televised clash (4pm kick-off) will swing fortunes his way.

"It is not too bad, and it is getting better," he said. "Maybe Sunday I play. I hope so.

"Last year I had the same injury with Newcastle and was out for a week, so maybe that is a good sign."

Faye sustained the injury last Saturday towards the end of Senegal's 1-1 draw with Gambia in World Cup qualifying.

"I play for 85 minutes," he recalled, "but then I jump for a high ball and when I land I go down and I feel my groin."

Faye has been a tower of strength since moving from Newcastle at the start of the season to bolster the centre of a new-look Stoke rearguard.

"I am happy here at Stoke, but I am not happy with our position," he admitted. "Our position is not good and we need the points.

"It is possible to win against Tottenham and I think it is a good time to play them when they are bottom of the league.

"For me, the pressure is on them. They are a big club, but they are the same as Newcastle. They change a lot of players and that is not good.

"You need to give them two or three seasons, but every year they change them."

Faye is also overcoming the emotional hurt of missing out on his final chance to appear in the World Cup finals after last weekend's draw with Gambia blew their qualification chances.

"For me and for all of Senegal, this is a very big disappointment," he said.

"People are not happy because Senegal is a big player in Africa, a very big name.

"I really wanted to play in South Africa because I never play in the finals and because they are in Africa for the first time. It is a big thing for all Africans."

Stoke star Ricardo Fuller, who is due back in England from international duty later today, looks set to be off again next month when Jamaica face a make-or-break World Cup qualifier at home to Canada on Wednesday November 19 - four days after Stoke's Premier League trip to Manchester United and three days before the visit of West Brom.

THE Britannia Stadium will be a 27,500 sell-out for a third time in four Premier League fixtures on Sunday after the club announced that all Tottenham tickets had been sold.