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Tony hopes for Austrian fillip
Stoke City, 12:54, June 23, 2009 ,
Tony Pulis feels July's tour of Austria is the perfect way for Stoke to build-up for the new Premier League campaign.
The Potters travel to Styria on July 15, the sixth time that Stoke will head to Austria for pre-season, and will play two matches during their week-long stay.
It worked well for the squad last season and Pulis is confident that it will have a similar impact ahead of the 2009-10 campaign.
Speaking to the BBC, Pulis said: "It's a lovely country because it's so quiet, I really like Austria and we're all really looking forward to it.
"The games we have over there are usually pretty competitive as well."
He added: "The lads will concentrate solely on their fitness levels. It's a bit above sea level too, so they all have to work a little bit harder."