Stoke City Football Club hope to prove they have improved on Wednesday.

The Potters take on Bolton Wanderers at the Britannia Stadium, in the reverse fixture from the opening weekend of Premier League matches.

On that day City tailed 3-0 at the Reebok Stadium before Ricardo Fuller pulled one back, but Whelan feels Tony Pulis’ men have improved since.

"Going into the first game of the Premier League season and going 3-0 down was a wake-up call and showed us how hard it was going to be," he told Sky Sports. "But now we are a better team for it and it will be a tougher game for Bolton."