Stoke City’s first match of the 2025-26 English Championship season will come against Derby County at the Bet365 Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The two teams were separated by just one place and one point in last season’s second tier standings, placing 18th and 19th respectively.
Despite last term’s lowly finish, Stoke ended the campaign in relatively decent form, avoiding defeat in six of their final eight matches to ensure that they just about preserved their Championship status.
Now gearing up for his first full season in charge, manager Mark Robins will be keen to see his side hit the ground running when Derby come to town this weekend.
The Rams secured Championship safety on the final day of last season – somewhat ironically by earning a 0-0 draw when playing host to Stoke.
Consolidation will be the name of the game this time around for manager John Eustace, who has been busy reshaping his squad over the summer.
How the bookies view it: Potters to pocket the points
The bookies’ odds suggest that Stoke will claim top honours on Saturday afternoon, with a home win trading at 13/10 on Boylesports. Alternatively, bundling up the Potters to avoid defeat alongside each team to receive a card will engineer an eye-catching 4/5 Bet Builder on Bet 365.
Derby come into their opening league game of the season as 11/5 underdogs on Boylesports while the draw is also deemed unlikely at 19/10 with the same firm.
Head to head: Stoke could hold psychological edge
Having collected four points from last season’s two meetings – including a 2-1 victory at this venue – Stoke could hold the psychological edge coming into this encounter.
Players to watch: Mubama to make his mark?
Divin Mubama is expected to spearhead Stoke’s attack on Saturday afternoon, making him an attractive option to register a minimum of one on-target effort here at 8/5 with Ladbrokes.
Carlton Morris is arguably the most notable of Derby's new arrivals over the summer to date. The former Luton forward looks overpriced for an anytime strike on Saturday at 3/1 on Boylesports.
Predicted line-ups
Stoke look set to have a clean bill of health for their season opener, with a number of players in line to make their competitive debuts for the club this weekend.
As for Derby, they will be unable to call upon the services of the injured quartet Kane Wilson, Lars-Jorgen Salvasen, Patrick Agyemang and Sondre Langas.
Stoke: Johansson; Tchamadeu, Wilmot, Lawal, Cresswell; Pearson, Baker; Manhoef, Bae, Thomas; Mubama
Derby: Zetterstrom; Turley, Rooney, Batth, Forsyth; Thompson, Goudmijn; Jackson, Adams, Blackett-Taylor; Morris
Anything else catch the eye?
Ebou Adams looks well worthy of consideration to receive a card on Saturday afternoon at 2/1 on Bet 365.
The Derby midfielder was one of the most ill-disciplined players in the English Championship last season, racking up 12 yellow cards.
It’s also worth noting that Adams tackled his way into trouble in each of his two appearances against Stoke City last term.
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