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Stoke City start their 2025/26 Championship campaign in the complete opposite way to how they ended 2024/25.
The Potters needed a point against Derby County on the final day of last season to ensure survival in the second tier, and they got exactly that as the two sides played out a 0-0 draw.
It was not the most entertaining of matches at Pride Park in May, with neither side creating too many chances as Matt Bloomfield slammed his Luton Town side after they suffered relegation in place of Stoke and the Rams.
However, with a new season just days away, Mark Robins will be expecting plenty more from his team at the bet365 Stadium in their first Championship fixture of the campaign.
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Mark Robins was very critical after Stoke City’s 0-0 draw with Derby County
John Eustace is yet to beat Robins in his career, and Stoke will be hoping that this particular statistic can continue this weekend.
However, fans will be looking for a much more interesting game in Staffordshire, and the Potters’ manager shared his frustration back in May. He said (via: BBC Sport): “It was a rubbish game but we both ended up getting what we needed, so that is the most important thing.
“The game was so lacking in quality it’s frightening, but understandable in the circumstances. The players managed themselves really well during the week and managed themselves through the game well today.
“Since I came in [to Stoke] in January, it has been a really tough period – I think one of the toughest of my career. It has been really difficult because I’m the third permanent manager and fourth voice they have had.
“It’s been a lot of upheaval. This team should never have been anywhere near the bottom, it’s a mid-table team at worst. And had everyone been fit and we’d been in earlier, things wouldn’t have got down to this day. But thankfully we have managed to come out the other side OK.”
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This is a fresh start for the Potters
After coming close to relegation last season, the target this year has to be a mid-table finish as Stoke look to build towards a better future.
Robins is the perfect manager to help take the Potters back to the Premier League, with the Staffordshire outfit last playing in the top flight in 2018.
Stoke did not score enough goals last season, but they have added to their forward line this summer and Robins will have a dream XI ready for the new campaign.
However, there are doubts over Viktor Johansson’s future, and this could impact their chances of making significant improvements.