Stoke City

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Game of the weekend? Not many would argue. Table-topping Coventry head to closest challengers Stoke City, managed by their former boss Mark Robins on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

The Sky Blues bounced back from their first defeat of the season at Wrexham last Friday by coming from behind to beat Sheffield United 3-1 at the CBS Arena on Tuesday night.

Frank Lampard's men sit four points clear of Stoke, who moved into second courtesy of a 3-0 win at Oxford United on the same night, the Potters' third straight win, with nine goals scored and only one conceded in that run.

Stoke have the best defence in the division, with only nine goals against them in 14 matches while Coventry are the leading scorers, by a mile, with 39 and a goal difference of +26 - more than double any other side in the division.

• Stoke have won just one of their past six home league games against Coventry (D1 L4), though it was a 1-0 victory in this exact fixture last season.

• Since their return to the Championship in 2020, Coventry have lost just two of their 10 league meetings with Stoke (W5 D3).

• Stoke have won their past three league games – they last won four in a row in August 2024 (the 4th game of which was against Coventry), while they last did so in the same season in December 2011.

• Coventry have scored at least twice in each of their past eight league games – only once have they ever done so in nine in a row, with that run coming back in March/April 1932.

• Coventry's Brandon Thomas-Asante is the highest scorer in the Championship this season, with his 10 goals already just one short of his best return in a Football League campaign (11 in 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24).

"If they haven't laid a marker down already over the past couple of games, what a marker it would be to beat Coventry City as well."

Lucas Yeomans and Ben Rowley are joined by BBC Radio Stoke's Mark Elliott and Angela Smith to discuss yet another stomping victory for Stoke City that puts them up to second in the Championship the table.

The Potters face league leaders Coventry City on Saturday and the team are feeling positive - is it time to believe in a promotion push or, dare we say it, a title race?

Listen to the full episode of A Cold Wet Tuesday Night and more Stoke City content on BBC Sounds.

Mark Elliott
BBC Radio Stoke commentator

Image source, Getty Images

This time last week, everyone was worried whether Stoke City had enough goals in the side to sustain their brilliant start to the season.

Two games and eight goals later, those worries have been emphatically dismissed.

Stoke scored three great goals at Oxford, Lewis Baker doubled his tally for the season with a brace and Steven Nzonzi scored a brilliant goal, his first since rejoining the club.

Nzonzi described it as a "good hit", looking and sounding typically cool as he did so and promised that there's more to come from him as he plays his way up to full fitness.

Given he looked like a Rolls Royce at times despite the difficult conditions, that's brilliant to hear and gives Mark Robins the right sort of selection dilemmas in midfield.

Baker has played well in an advanced role and as a deep-lying midfielder and Nzonzi has put himself firmly in the conversation to start more games despite the performances of Tatsuki Seko, possibly Stoke's most improved player this season.

Tomas Rigo has shown his quality in flashes and will get better as he acclimatises to English football and Ben Pearson has been a dependable presence whenever he's been called upon.

Bae Junho remains an enigma but has bags of talent, leaving Robins with plenty of options to choose from.

The prospect of a home game against top of the table Coventry with The Potters in second is as exciting as anything Stoke have had to look forward to since relegation from the Premier League.

It's a brilliant time to be a Stoke fan again.

Listen to more Stoke City content on BBC Sounds

Stoke manager Mark Robins said his team scored "three outstanding goals" as they moved into second in the Championship with a 3-0 win at Oxford United.

"We were really good," Robins told BBC Radio Stoke. "Coming to a place like this, you want to try to kill what they do, and you hear everybody talking about how difficult they are to play against.

"To come here on an evening like this you have to be really tuned in, and really focused, and the players were that from start to finish. There was no little quality, there was loads and loads of determination and effort.

"They were three outstanding goals. The third was incredible because we moved the ball really well, ran forward with speed, the second was a perfect set-play with great delivery and Steven [Nzonzi] got great contact to find the net.

"It was a clean sheet too, so that's five goals and three goals [scored] and one conceded in two games against really difficult opponents."

Oxford United host Stoke City tonight (19:45 GMT) as they look to stop the Potters pushing their way into the automatic promotion spots.

Oxford didn't register their first league win until September 21. Since then, they have taken their win tally up to three games for the season. However, the U's only managed to scrape a draw last time out against Millwall, with an added-time equaliser.

Stoke now sit just one point behind Middlesbrough in the table, as they aim to get back into the top two.

The Potters face Oxford following back-to-back wins, which featured a 5-1 thrashing of Bristol City.

• Oxford United have never lost a home game in the Football League against Stoke City in eight previous meetings (W6 D2), only facing Ipswich Town more often on home turf without losing (P12 W5 D7).

• Stoke City have won only one of their last eight league games against Oxford United (D4 L3), a 4-0 home win in September 2000 in the third tier.

• Oxford United are winless in their last six midweek (Tue/Wed/Thu) league games (D2 L4), since a 3-2 home win against Luton Town in January.

• Stoke beat Portsmouth 1-0 at Fratton Park in their final game of October but the Potters haven't won back-to-back away games without conceding in the Championship since December 2021/January 2022 (2-0 v QPR and Hull City).

• This will be ninth meeting between Oxford manager Gary Rowett and Stoke manager Mark Robins in the Football League, with both winning three of the previous eight (D2).

Image source, Getty Images

Stoke City full-back Junior Tchamadeu has a "massive ceiling" that could see him poached away from the bet365 Stadium and into the Premier League.

That is if the Potters are not promoted this season, A Cold Wet Tuesday Night podcast co-host Ben Rowley believes.

Tchamadeu, 21, joined Stoke from League Two Colchester United in 2023, and after an injury-hit debut campaign remained a regular throughout the 2024-25 season despite the club's managerial turmoil.

This term, Tchamadeu has started at right-back in every Championship match for which he has been available under Mark Robins, including last weekend's 5-1 rout of Bristol City - a game in which he scored what he said is "probably the best" goal of his career, and set up the opener for hat-trick hero Divin Mubama.

Analysing the win which took Stoke up to third, just four points shy of table toppers Coventry City, on his podcast, Rowley said: "I think we saw the good and the bad of him today; there were a couple of times early on with some loose passes from the back, petulantly nudging the ball away to get himself a yellow card, and those sorts of yellow cards are a shame because we want him available.

"But for me, he was my man of the match despite Mubama getting the hat-trick.

"He was everything you want from a Stoke City full-back - powerful, good in the tackle, sensational work rate, pacey, creating chances for his team-mates, and that goal."

Of Tchamadeu's growing credentials, Rowley added that the Cameroon international is "becoming amongst the league's best full-backs", and he was part of the Championship's best defence.

"It's incredible that he can provide those offensive contributions when the defence is so solid," Rowley added.

"He's got a massive ceiling. If we don't go up, he's got someone like a Crystal Palace written all over him, unfortunately. If we don't take advantage of this season, he'll absolutely not be here next season because his talent is there for all to see now."

Next up for Robins' side is a trip to 18th-placed Oxford United on Tuesday followed by Saturday's home game with Coventry.

Mark Elliott
Stoke City commentator for BBC Radio Stoke

Image source, Rex Features

Divin Mubama clutched the match ball to his chest like a Christmas present in the five o'clock darkness that signals the arrival of the meaty part of the Championship season.

To stick with the festive theme, November began with fireworks at the Bet365 Stadium as his hat-trick, a brilliant solo effort from Junior Tchamadeu, and another for Million Manhoef fulfilled a prophecy that manager Mark Robins has repeated several times over the past few weeks.

Stoke haven't been scoring enough, they haven't been efficient enough in front of goal, and their brilliant start to the season has been characterised by hard-fought wins. Until now.

Robins said someone would be on the wrong end of a big score before long - and he was proven emphatically right.

When Stoke went through the gears and hit top speed, Bristol City couldn't live with them. The visitors were poor, but were made to look abject.

Mubama scored three strikers' goals; close-range finishes, pouncing on a mixture of defensive errors and great service, to more than double his goal tally for the season.

He's a young man and understandably looked relieved, delighted and full of belief again.

His team-mates set a new standard in this game. We know they're defensively solid, but, if they can match the tempo, quality and efficiency of this performance consistently, there are no limits on what they can achieve between now and May.

Image source, Getty Images

Mark Robins hailed one of the best home performances since he became Stoke City manager after the 5-1 win over Bristol City.

Divin Mubama scored a hat-trick for the Potters as they inflicted a first away loss of the season on their opponents.

"The way we set about things, the intent was there, but the quality was there," Robins told BBC Radio Stoke.

"The understanding from the players, that interplay, the exchange of passes and movement, and the intensity to go and do their jobs in and out of possession.

"They were unbeaten away from home this season before today, they're a good team. We've had probably one of the best performances at home since I came in.

"We talk about the incremental improvements, and you could see today there was a vast improvement, not just incremental.

"The thing for us is to not worry about having to repeat that, because we've seen lots and lots of really good repetitive things in games where we've been really good and smart. Today we were smarter than before."

Stoke City boss Mark Robins says that while his side has seen massive improvement in defence this season, none of his players have yet hit "their top level."

The Potters currently possess the joint-best defensive record in the Championship this season, alongside Middlesbrough, conceding just eight goals across their opening 12 games.

Just seven sides let in more goals last season than Stoke's 62.

"We are trying to improve all the time," Robins told BBC Radio Stoke.

"If we continue in the same vein, then we will improve and will keep getting better and close to the goal - the ultimate goal of being at the top of the division at the end of the season rather than talking about it after 12 games.

"While no-one is at their top, top level yet, there is scope for it to happen and for people to improve."

Much of Stoke's back line were part of the relegation battle last season, including defenders Ben Wilmot, Ashley Phillips, Junior Tchamadeu and Eric Bocat.

However, Robins believes that the experience gained during the fight at the bottom end of the table is now benefiting his players this season, as they look to contend for promotion at the other end.

"Confidence is huge," he added.

"I think the confidence you can glean from those moments where it's not gone brilliantly but you've come through it, that can have a bonding effect and also give you confidence to deal with adversity.

"Also then to try and go and deal with the different sort of pressures in being in a different part of the division, which is where everyone wants to be."

Listen to the full interview with Robins and more Stoke City content on BBC Sounds.

Both Bristol City and Stoke City will be looking to keep themselves in the mix at the top when they face each other at the bet365 Stadium on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

The two sides currently sit next to each other on the table, with the Robins taking a slender one point lead over the fifth placed Potters but trailing leaders Coventry City by six points prior to the weekend.

Bristol City could enter the top two with a victory should other results fall their way, while Stoke will want to take three points to secure their place in the top six for another weekend.

• Stoke City have lost five of their seven home league games against Bristol City since New Years Day 2019, their joint-most defeats on home soil against any side in that time period (also West Brom and Preston with five).

• Bristol City have lost just four of their last 13 league games against Stoke City (W7 D2), avoiding defeat in both meetings with the Potters last term (2-2 away, 2-0 home).

• Stoke have lost just two of their last 11 home league games (W6 D3), keeping five clean sheets during that time.

• Bristol City have won each of their last three league games and will be looking to win four in succession for the first time since their opening four matches of the 2020-21 campaign.

• Stoke City goalkeeper Viktor Johansson holds a 81.8% save percentage in the Championship this season, the best rate of any goalkeeper to face 10+ shots on target this term.

"Room to improve going forward certainly but defence? I think we have a really solid foundation with the plethora of options we have and, of course, [Viktor] Johansson in goal, who is magnificent.

"What a headache the manager has now, particularly when his unavailable options [in central defence] come back to him."

Lucas Yeomans and Ben Rowley discuss Stoke City's outstanding defensive performances this season, who has impressed and whether the Potters might just have the best back-line in the Championship.

Listen to the full episode of A Cold Wet Tuesday Night and more Stoke City content on BBC Sounds.

Mark Elliott
Stoke City commentator for BBC Radio Stoke

Image source, Rex Features

In the age of "goal involvements" and a greater focus on assists as a statistic, it seems really harsh to deny players credit for a pass that causes an own goal.

Sorba Thomas' cross which forced Portsmouth defender Hayden Matthews into an intervention as unintended as it was decisive was a delivery worthy of recognition.

Thomas' ability from set-pieces and his quality from wide areas was widely praised before and after he signed for Stoke, but he can't have produced many more sustained periods of consistent quality than he has over the first dozen games of the season.

Stoke have scored 13 goals in the league and if you include the goal against Portsmouth, Thomas has been directly involved in nine.

He's scored four, assisted four more and created the winner at Fratton Park which works out at just under 70% of all of the goals Stoke have scored in the Championship this term.

Thomas has been an outstanding addition to the squad, whose energy and dribbling ability has given Stoke a consistently viable outlet when defending and, accused of sometimes lacking concentration early in his career, his defensive work has improved significantly too.

He's an important player for Wales now too and well on his way to setting career best marks for goals and assists in a season.

He'll certainly surpass the five goals he scored in the National League for Boreham Wood in 2019-20 and the tally of 12 assists he registered for Huddersfield in 2021-22 is more than beatable with 34 games still to play.

Now Stoke need one or two of his team-mates to get closer to matching Thomas' output.

Mark Robins felt his Stoke City team were "good enough" to deserve the three points after they beat Portsmouth 1-0.

The Potters manager told BBC Radio Stoke: "The performance was good enough, first half especially, I thought we were really good and should have been 2-0 up.

"We didn't take those chances and gave the opposition the encouragement to remain in the game when we should have put it to bed.

"They smelt that and came out in the second half to put us under a lot of pressure to start with, but we also put ourselves under pressure with a lot of strange decisions, but had a brilliant goalkeeper who made a great save.

"When we needed to, we defended properly and saw the game out."

Stoke City boss Mark Robins is expecting an intense atmosphere as his side travel to Fratton Park to face Portsmouth on Saturday (12:30 BST).

Robins' side started off the campaign strongly by winning their opening three games, but one win in their last six has seen them slip down to sixth place.

They take on a Pompey side who are as far from the play-off places as the bottom three. The hosts know that three points at home would steer them in the right direction.

Robins told BBC Radio Stoke: "Every time you go to Fratton Park the atmosphere is boisterous, it's partisan, it's high in number and it's a demanding environment, they'll appeal for everything for their team, our supporters do the same,

"They play with an intensity, they've got some good players, they've changed the way they've gone about things, they've got suspensions and an injury as well and I think that you expect a tough game,

"Obviously we've got experience on the back of last season there, we've got that to draw on, but also the experiences we're having so far this season, we certainly go with a view to having a really strong performance."

Listen to the full interview and more on BBC Sounds

Mark Elliott
Stoke City commentator for BBC Radio Stoke

Image source, Rex Features

Millwall on a Tuesday night is a tough assignment but having made four changes from the side that beat Wrexham at the weekend, Mark Robins was disappointed with his team's performance in response to the challenge of the Lions.

Stoke started both halves well enough but both times things unravelled as Robins blamed poor decision-making for their lack of any meaningful success in the game.

"Nine times out of 10" the manager said players in red and white made the wrong choice when faced with an in-game decision.

Midfielder Tomas Rigo (pictured) also spoke about composure, particularly in attack, when asked what needs to improve for Stoke to score more goals and win games like this. He spoke about calmness, patience and making the right choices, echoing his manager.

Defensively, the mistakes made for both goals went against the grain of the season so far but it's not the first time decision-making in possession has been blamed as a major reason for dropped points.

Stoke lost too many duels against a physical side too, something we have not seen since defeat at QPR earlier in the season.

All will be forgotten with a good result at Portsmouth on Saturday but the biggest positive may be that what Stoke need to improve upon to win another away game at an atmospheric, rowdy ground is clear.

Stoke City manager Mark Robins, speaking to BBC Radio Stoke after Tuesday's 2-0 loss at Millwall:

"We were poor. This was our first big, big test I felt and we failed it. I'm disappointed but we have to lick our wounds and get on with it.

"We conceded two really poor goals. We kept chasing our game; we couldn't find it. People would start to do things that were a bit alien to them.

"We just didn't give ourselves a chance in the game after the first 10 minutes.

"We've lost a high percentage of the duels today and they've come out on top which isn't a surprise. If they'd been better in front of goal we'd have lost by a bigger margin. It was a really, really disappointing evening.

"If we think we're a top two team, we are miles away from that and that's evidenced tonight."

Stoke City defender Ashley Phillips admits he has had to be patient for game time this season, but says he feels at home with the club.

The Potters are currently third in the Championship and face an away trip against Millwall on Tuesday night (19:45 BST).

He told BBC Radio Stoke: "I didn't get a single minute in pre-season so it has been about getting up to speed so far, but when you are in the side it's about staying in.

"I have had to be patient but the competition has been great and we are all pushing each other which has helped us end up being as high up as we are.

"It feels like a family, it feels like home for everyone. Everybody is pushing each other and we hold each other accountable, which is what you need to be high up in the league."

Mark Robins' side hold the best defensive record in the league so far, with only six goals conceded in their opening 10 games.

"It is brilliant news to have the record, it means that we are doing our jobs and clean sheets win games," said Phillips.

"We have to take one game at a time as in the Championship anyone can beat anyone on their day, so we have to be humble."

Stoke City head to South London with the best defensive record in the Championship having conceded only six goals in their 10 matches so far

Millwall are looking to record three league wins in a row for the first time since April.

• Millwall have only lost one of their past 13 league meetings with Stoke City (W7 D5), going down 2-0 in March 2022.

• Stoke have lost each of their past four league visits to Millwall and could lose five in a row for the first time.

• Millwall have won seven of their past 10 home league games, although have lost three of their past five such matches.

• Since losing 6-0 at Leeds in April, Stoke have shipped just three goals across their past six away league outings.

• Millwall's Alex Neil has won five of his past six league matches against former side Stoke, losing the other 1-0 with Preston in September 2020.