Stoke City are protecting an incredible final day record this weekend that Derby County will fear

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Five Championship sides still have the chance of joining Plymouth Argyle and Cardiff City in League One for the 2025/26 campaign, with Stoke City facing Derby County this weekend.

The two sides are separated by just one place and one point in the second tier table, with the Potters heading into the clash with the slight advantage, although wins for all those below them will see them relegated.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
14	NorwichNorwich	45	13	15	17	67	66	1	54
15	QPRQPR	45	13	14	18	52	63	-11	53
16	PortsmouthPortsmouth	45	14	11	20	57	70	-13	53
17	Oxford UnitedOxford United	45	13	13	19	46	62	-16	52
18	Stoke CityStoke City	45	12	14	19	45	62	-17	50
19	DerbyDerby	45	13	10	22	48	56	-8	49
20	PrestonPreston	45	10	19	16	46	57	-11	49
21	LutonLuton	45	13	10	22	42	64	-22	49
22	Hull CityHull City	45	12	12	21	43	53	-10	48

Mark Robins’ record against John Eustace is strong, but the prospect of heading to Pride Park will be worrying, with the Rams extremely strong on their own patch – winning three of their last five at home, while losing just once.

Stoke’s record in DE24 is also not particularly strong, having not won a league match there since 2007. However, one part of history is on their side, and Derby will be up against it on Saturday if they want to ensure their survival with a victory.

Stoke City’s final day record is extremely strong in the last 11 years

The Potters’ seven-year stay in the Championship is under threat, and not in the way that many would have foreseen when they were relegated from the Premier League in 2018.

Stoke have not played in the third tier of English football since 2002, and Robins knows of Derby’s physicality already, as he looks for the point that his side needs to ensure their survival, with the Rams at risk if the game does end level.

History does favour the away side on this occasion, with the Staffordshire outfit’s record on the final day superb in the last 13 years, with just one defeat to their name in that time.

A 2-0 defeat to Watford in 2023 was the only time during this period that the Potters have been beaten in their last game of the season, with wins over Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest in the Championship also catching the eye.

Perhaps their most famous victory in their Premier League era came against Liverpool in 2015, as Stoke soured the mood of Steven Gerrard’s farewell by beating the current champions 6-1 at home. Although the Reds legend was able to get on the scoresheet for his side.

Mark Robins has to rally his players after back-to-back defeats

While few expected the Potters to taste too much success against Leeds United and Sheffield United, the extent of both defeats will be worrying to Robins, particularly against the Whites.

Stoke were beaten 6-0 by Daniel Farke’s team at Elland Road on Easter Monday, with the home side turning on the style early as they went on to secure promotion later that day.

However, they were unable to compete against the Blades just four days later, with the away side taking control of the game at the bet365 Stadium. With Sheffield United’s third place finish already secured, it was an opportunity for Robins’ players to impress, but they were second-best all evening.

Saturday, while not a must-win, will be a pressure situation for Stoke and their manager has an incredibly tough task to rally the troops following successive defeats. Derby will be ready to throw everything at it to ensure their survival, and the Potters may find it tough to maintain their excellent final day record.