He was sacked because of Birmingham City, now Mark Robins can get revenge with his Stoke City side

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Stoke City will hope to continue their excellent start to the season with a win against Birmingham City.

Mark Robins’ side were tipped to struggle in the Championship this season but have got off to a flyer with three wins and one draw.

Birmingham, on the other hand, have had more mixed fortunes and Chris Davies’ side are yet to show their best.

For Robins, there will be extra skin in the game at the Bet365 Stadium this weekend and he will have a personal reason as to why he wants three points more than any other weekend.

• READ MORE: Mark Robins has made pre-season Stoke City claim look foolish as Ipswich Town suffer shocking decline

Coventry City owner said he sacked Mark Robins because of Birmingham City

Before his Stoke days, Robins was responsible for taking Coventry City from the depths of League Two all the way to the Championship play-off final.

Despite his hard work, the Sky Blues relieved him of his duties in November 2024 with the club 17th in the table.

The decision was a controversial one at the time, but Coventry owner Doug King admitted that he was fearful of replicating Birmingham’s relegation to League One.

He told Coventry Live: “I think the biggest thing that could have got us out of control, and we’ll see how it all turns out, was if we just continued as we were and didn’t change anything and by Christmas got into a real pickle and out of control of the situation.

“Honestly, I don’t want to be in that situation where control is taken away from the football club and from me and what we have invested in it. And it can happen quickly.

“We saw that with Birmingham last year and that was a lesson in my eyes, with big owners with big plans. They make a few mistakes which they probably wish they hadn’t and they are now down in League One. They have deep pockets and they are doing what they’re doing. But the issue is, our footballers will not play in League One.

Mark Robins’s managerial record against Birmingham City

Even though the Potters have got off to a great start, the Stoke manager will be hoping that there is no post-international break hangover ahead of a tough test.

For the 55-year-old, this will be the 13th time he has faced Birmingham, with the previous 12 games delivering mixed results.

Overall, he has won four times, drawn five and lost three – the most recent of those being a 3-0 win for Birmingham in April 2024.