"We didn't play well at Stoke but you have to remember it is a tough place to go to. Arsenal have lost there, Villa have lost there, so you can see it isn't easy. They have picked up 18 of their 21 points at home," he said.
"Having said that, we didn't play well. On the day the team - the defence, the midfield, the strikers and the staff, wasn't good enough.
"We need to improve on that but the quality is there and the confidence is there, so hopefully in front of our own fans tonight we can perform as we'd want to and win the match.
"This is a special week because it isn't normal to play two games in a short time against your neighbours, but it's fantastic for the fans and it will be even more fantastic if we can win both games."