THOMAS Sorensen looks like he's just gone 15 rounds against Ricky Hatton with both hands tied behind his back, but he insists: "I am raring to go at Manchester City."

Stoke's great Dane has spent much of the past week in hibernation after needing around a dozen stitches for wounds above and below his eye following last weekend's collision with a set of studs belonging to Tottenham's Alan Hutton.

But he goes to Eastlands tomorrow ready to reclaim the place he temporarily relinquished to Steve Simonsen in the latter stages of last weekend's win over Spurs.

"You think about an injury like that before a game and after a game, but not during a game," said the Denmark international.

"The chance of it happening again is unlikely and, as a goalkeeper, you have the ability when you go for the ball not to think about the consequences.

"I am just happy it wasn't as bad as it could have been. You just move on and just start playing again, hopefully this weekend. It's not my first cut and probably not my last – and it's out of my mind now.

"Anything with head injuries, like Petr Cech's, is a different ball game to other injuries. But it will hopefully heal well and there won't be any problems. I was lucky."

He still faces a spot of arm wrestling with the club doctor, however, over his appearance when he takes to the field tomorrow.

"The doctor wants the stitches to stay, in case the wound opens, but I want them out. So we will have a bit of a battle about it and we will see who wins."

Sorensen was critical of Hutton in the immediate aftermath of last Sunday's incident, but is now accepting the Scot's public apology for what the Spurs defender described as a pure accident. "I got there first and had time to turn my head," he recalled, "but if I hadn't, I don't think I'd be sitting here today.

"Football is a contact sport, but sometimes you need that little bit of caution when you don't have a chance to win the ball.

"I accept his apology and I am sure he didn't do it on purpose."

Tomorrow, Sorensen squares up to a goalkeeper many regard as future England material for years to come as he confronts the highly-rated Joe Hart in the City goal.

"Yes, he is one of the bright talents of England goalkeeping," Sorensen concurs. "He's still young and still learning, so maybe we are only seeing half of what he's capable of.

"It's good for England to have young, talented keepers. It's important for the country to have someone coming through and putting a bit of pressure on the older guys."

Sorensen sees certain parallels between tomorrow's hosts and his old club Aston Villa after both enjoyed a dramatic injection of cash to promise more fruitful times ahead.

"A lot of things have happened for them," he observed. "A bit like Aston Villa last year when the new owner came in. Suddenly, they can sign players like Robinho.

"Attacking, they are very strong, with others like Wright-Phillips to give them two wingers to cross for the people up front. It's a tough game, but I feel we have a chance.

"We need to be tight and not give them the time to do the damage they can do. They haven't won for the last three games and looking at the fixtures, they will see it's a must-win game.

"The longer it goes on with us having a result it will be to our advantage, like at Liverpool, because it will build our confidence and their spirit will go a bit.

"We will get chances – and it's up to us to take one or two.

"So far, we have stood our ground well and we are looking to the likes of Hull for us to do the same.

"There's a big psychological factor when you look at the table and see you are not bottom.

"We just have to make it happen because we have been close in a number of games and the victory last weekend should have given us a lot of confidence.