Derby County must put last season’s Stoke City frustration behind them ahead of their Championship opener

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Derby County make the short journey up the A50 on Saturday afternoon as they face Stoke City in the Championship in gameweek one.

The Rams have now made 10 signings this summer, with supporters excited about the addition of Bobby Clark after the midfielder favoured a move to Pride Park over Newcastle United.

Nevertheless, concerns will now be turning to this weekend as the first round of Championship fixtures get underway.

However, for Derby, a trip to the bet365 Stadium has often been underwhelming and John Eustace has a huge task on his hands if he is to get a result in Staffordshire.

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Derby County have beaten Stoke City away from home just once since 2008

Eustace was praised by Ebou Adams in May following the Rams’ 0-0 draw against Stoke, a result that ensured the safety of both sides. However, Mark Robins will expect more from the Potters this time around.

Derby have recruited well, and perhaps head into the game as slight favourites, but their record at the bet365 Stadium recently is not great.

The Rams have won at Stoke just once since 2008, with Nathan Ellington’s stoppage time penalty sending the away side through to the semi-final of the League Cup in a tight 1-0 win on that incredible night.

Since then, the Potters have been relatively dominant over their East Midlands counterparts on their own patch and Eustace will be keen to make his own little bit of history with victory on Saturday, with a 2-1 win in 2021 the only other time Stoke have been defeated by this weekend’s opponents at home in that time.

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The Rams just have the edge over Stoke City throughout the years

While the last few years have not been overly great for Derby on their travels against Stoke, over the course of history, they have picked up more victories in this clash.

The Rams have won 55 of the meetings, losing 44 with 42 games ending level. The Potters ran out 2-1 victors in this fixture last season, with a late Ben Gibson header handing Narcis Pelach’s side all three points.

It was a very frustrating result for Paul Warne’s side, and they were not at the races throughout the first-half.

However, Eustace will be extremely keen to show off his team’s strengths and a strong showing would demonstrate to the rest of the division that Derby are not here just to make up the numbers.