Stoke City boss Tony Pulis has urged the club's supporters to get behind their team as they kick off the second phase of their Europa League campaign.

The Potters boss, who welcomes Spanish outfit Valencia to the Britannia Stadium in the first leg of their showdown tonight, insists that his side will need as much support as possible against the European giants.

"I think our supporters will recognise and realise that the team needs help," he said. "This one could take the roof off the stadium.

"We need 90 minutes of mayhem in the stands to keep our players going. We're at our best when we're the underdogs and we're certainly the underdogs on Thursday evening.

"What we have to do is make sure we're up and running, so we give them something to cheer about."

Meanwhile, Stoke are currently nine points clear of the drop in the Premier League.