Will Still must not repeat Southampton’s last Championship clash vs Stoke City after Russell Martin howler

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Southampton face Stoke City this Saturday, but the two sides have not met in the Championship for over a year.

Southampton face Stoke City this weekend as Will Still’s side look to continue their unbeaten start to the 2025/26 season.

So far in Still’s first weeks in charge of competitive fixtures, Southampton beat Wrexham 2-1 with a late comeback, went through to the second round of the Carabao Cup at the expense of Northampton Town, and drew 1-1 with Ipswich.

As a result of Southampton’s promotion to the Premier League last term, the last time Stoke visited St Mary’s for a Championship fixture was back in April 2024.

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How Southampton’s last Championship clash vs Stoke City went

Still and the Southampton faithful will be desperate to see the new Saints boss not repeat recent history against the Potters.

During Russell Martin’s tenure, Stoke beat Southampton 1-0 at St Mary’s, on a frustrating afternoon for the Saints supporters.

As was typical under Martin, Southampton enjoyed the lion’s share of possession (66%) in their most recent league meeting with Stoke, but failed to profit from that in terms of goals.

Tyrese Campbell opened the scoring for Stoke after 36 minutes played with a low effort that went through the legs of Saints goalkeeper Alex McCarthy.

Martin’s Saints side fashioned only three shots on target against the Potters, who were then under the stewardship of Steven Schumacher.

Stoke’s win confirmed their Championship survival in April 2024, handing Southampton their third successive defeat that threatened the Saints’ promotion prospects.

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Tyler Dibling transfer update ahead of Southampton vs Stoke City

Despite earning his maiden Southampton first-team debut during the 2023/24 season, winger Tyler Dibling was not present for the aforementioned previous Championship meeting against Stoke.

Amid the youngster’s summer-long links with a move to Everton, Still wants what is best for Dibling before the transfer window shuts on September 1.

After the Ipswich draw, Still commented on Dibling’s Southampton future, after he reintegrated the English starlet into the Saints squad and brought him on as a late substitute at Portman Road.

With Still keen to continue using Dibling despite the uncertainty over his footballing future, a start against Stoke on Saturday could be the 19-year-old’s last in a Southampton jersey if Everton match his valuation.

The Toffees may need to act quickly, however, after reports emerged recently that Crystal Palace have placed Dibling on their shortlist ahead of Southampton’s home clash against the Potters.