The pair replaced Liam Lindsay and Brad Potts - Lindsay unable to face his parent club while Potts dropped to the bench.
Cunningham was expected to play at left wing-back with Tom Barkhuizen switching to the right hand side.
That enabled Sepp van den Berg to move into the centre of defence alongside Jordan Storey and Andrew Hughes.
Browne joined Ryan Ledson and Ben Whiteman in midfield, the skipper the further forward of the three.
Emil Riis and Ched Evans continued their partnership in the attack.
On the bench there were returns from injury for Sean Maguire and Connor Ripley.
Kick-off is 12.30pm.
Stoke: Davies, Smith, Chester, Souttar, Norrington-Davies, Mikel, Tymon, Clucas, Powell, Fletcher, Norton. Subs: Batth, Vokes, Brown, Cousins, Thompson, Coates, Matondo, Tatlor, Gunn.
PNE: Iversen, van den Berg, Storey, Hughes, Barkhuizen, Ledson, Whiteman, Cunningham, Browne, Riis, Evans. Subs: Bayliss, Molumby, Huntington, Maguire, Sinclair, Bodin, Gordon, Potts, Ripley.
Referee: James Linington (Isle of Wight)
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