Stoke City

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This is the first FA Cup meeting between Sunderland and Stoke since February 1976, the Black Cats winning a fifth round replay 2-1 at Roker Park.

Sunderland have won their past two home games against Stoke, including a 2-1 Championship victory last month.

They last won three consecutive home games against the Potters in all competitions in September 1986.

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Stoke City goalkeeper Viktor Johansson has been ranked No1 in the Championship for expected goals prevented so far this season.

The ranking includes any second-tier keepers who have played 1,000 minutes or more, with the Sweden international having denied 13.5 expected goals.

Johansson is way ahead of his nearest rival, Blackburn Rovers keeper Aynsley Pears in second with 7.9, while Burnley's James Trafford is third on 7.0.

The metric, via Opta, substitutes the number of goals conceded by a keeper (in Johansson's case - 28) from his expected goals faced (where the relative shot quality of each on-target attempt is calculated and totalled; for Johansson it's 41.5).

Pretty impressive stuff from the Potters keeper, huh?

What's your favourite moment from Johansson so far?

Where does he rank in your thoughts on the summer signings?

Were you expecting him to be this good?

Where would the Potters be in the table without him?

Let us know right here.

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Former Stoke City head coach Narcis Pelach has been appointed first-team coach at West Ham United as part of new Hammers' boss Graham Potter's backroom staff.

Pelach was sacked by Stoke on December 27 after just three months in charge during which they won only three of his 19 games at the helm.

"Narcis Pelach is a really young coach who is excellent on the grass, excellent with the players," Potter told his first West Ham news conference, having been confirmed as Julen Lopetegui's replacement.

"We need everyone to be pulling in the same direction, we need to be aligned and using the resources we have."

Pelach had been appointed Stoke head coach in September having held previous assistant roles at Huddersfield Town and Norwich City.

He joins Billy Reid and Bruno Saltor as part of Potter's coaching team at The London Stadium.

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Blackburn boss John Eustace admits Rovers will miss the leadership qualities of Lewis Baker, who has been recalled from loan by Stoke.

The 29-year-old has started five Championship games in holding midfield in the past month among his 13 Rovers appearances, scoring his only goal in the win over Cardiff in November.

Eustace told BBC Radio Lancashire: "Lewis has been fantastic on and off the pitch. Most importantly off the pitch really, as a leader. His experience has really helped the group through some good times and some difficult times.

"He's been brilliant with the young boys. He's a top professional and that's the reason why we brought him to the football club.

"We knew what we'd get from him and he's going to be missed."

Rovers' 21-year-old striker Harry Leonard also had his say, adding: "He was great with me and great around the dressing room.

"He's come in to the team in the last few weeks and has done really well. His ability in training and in the games is there for everyone to see.

"It's a big miss for everyone."

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New Stoke City boss Mark Robins has recalled midfielder Lewis Baker from his scheduled season's loan with Blackburn Rovers.

The 29-year-old former Chelsea youth player scored the only goal of the game to beat Robins' Coventry City on the opening day of the season.

But he was then allowed out on loan to fellow Championship side Blackburn on transfer deadline day in August.

He has made 13 appearances to help Blackburn to seventh place in the Championship, 12 places and 12 points ahead of Stoke.

But he has returned to The Potters in time for Saturday's FA Cup third-round tie at Sunderland.

"It was clear in discussions with Mark that he believes Lewis can play an important role in our squad," said sporting director Jonathan Walters.

"With the best part of 300 career appearances to his name, Lewis will add invaluable experience, while his technical ability is something our supporters will be well aware of.

"Having started each of Blackburn's four fixtures over the festive period, he returns ready to make an immediate impact."

Baker, originally signed by former boss Michael O'Neill on loan from Chelsea in January 2022, is currently on a three-year deal with Stoke, which expires at the end of this season.

Sheffield United and West Bromwich Albion are among clubs interested in signing Liverpool forward Lewis Koumas, with the 19-year-old impressing in his 25 Championship appearances on loan at Stoke City this season. (Daily Mail, external)

Want more EFL transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column.

New Stoke City boss Mark Robins said he was pleased with the effort his side produced despite being held to a 0-0 draw by Championship bottom club Plymouth on Saturday.

The Potters dominated possession against managerless Argyle- with 65% of the ball- but out of 18 shots on goal, only hit the target three times.

"There's a lot that we can work on clearly but when you're coming into a third game in a week, whoever you're playing against, it is really difficult," Robins told BBC Radio Stoke.

The draw stretched the Potters' unbeaten run to three games following victory over Sunderland and a hard-fought draw at high-flying Burnley in Ryan Shawcross' short tenure as interim boss, and Robins is keen to focus on the positives.

"They've tried to execute everything we've asked them to do so, for the first game, it was a reasonable point in the end," he added.

"There were some really decent performances in there for a start.

"I'd like us to move the ball quicker, but for a starting position - off the back of the physical demands of the week- it was a really good shift, so I have no complaints."

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Stoke City fan George Weaver, also known as Potterlytics, has been speaking to Lucas Yeomans on the BBC's A Cold Wet Tuesday Night podcast about the appointment of Mark Robins and his first game in charge.

The Potters drew 0-0 with bottom side Plymouth on Saturday, three days after Robins joined on New Year's Day.

Potterlytics said: "In a vacuum, the Mark Robins appointment in terms of who is available, I'm pretty excited by it. The work he did at Coventry was incredible.

"I don't think Mark Robins was part of any long-term plans at Stoke prior to the issues with Narcis Pelach and how poorly that went.

"I feel Robins has come in to implement some of his own long-term plans and that's fine, but it's more of a return to rolling the dice.

"On the positive side, this is a dice roll that's more likely to work out. I think he suits the club, I think he suits what we're looking for at this point in time but it's still a dice roll.

"There's no way this is what Stoke were looking to do when they brought in Pelach, when they brought in Jon Walters, when they brought in [Steven] Schumacher in the first place.

"Robins is a pretty decent fit and probably more likely to come off than some of the previous ones."

On the performance against Plymouth, Potterlytics added: "The big takeaway was that the vast majority of that starting XI were absolutely knackered after 45 to 50 minutes.

"The way they worked in the Burnley and Sunderland games, that was inevitable. He [Robins] said afterwards we've not got a great depth of squad to work with at the minute.

"So it very much makes sense that it was a bit of a tired performance. But I don't think there is too much we can take out of it in terms of what Robins is going to be like in the long-term."

Listen to A Cold Wet Tuesday Night podcast on BBC Sounds.

At least one new era will begin at the Bet365 Stadium on Saturday (12:30 GMT) when Mark Robins takes charge of his first game since being installed as Potters boss, having watched their 0-0 draw at Burnley from the stands on New Year's Day.

It will be Plymouth's second match since parting ways with Wayne Rooney, with Kevin Nancekivell and Joe Edwards having taken charge of the dramatic 2-2 draw against Bristol City to kick-off 2025.

Argyle remain bottom, effectively five points from safety, but City are too close for comfort, seven points ahead of Plymouth, but having played a game more.

• Stoke City have won their last two league meetings with Plymouth Argyle, last winning three in a row against the Pilgrims between March 1963 and October 1987 (four in a row).

• Plymouth have never won away to Stoke City in the Football League in 20 previous attempts (D6 L14); among current EFL fixtures, the only teams to go away to an opponent more often without earning a single victory are Mansfield (25 v Reading), Coventry (23 v Preston) and Blackburn (22 v Luton).

• Three of Stoke City's four home wins in the Championship this season have seen them net the winning goal in the final 15 minutes – the Potters could win back-to-back home matches for the first time this season.

• Plymouth have conceded more goals (35) and scored the joint-fewest goals (3) of any team away from home in England's top four tiers this season – the Pilgrims (2.69A, 0.23F) are currently only the second team in English league history to average more than 2.50 goals conceded per game and average fewer than 0.25 goals per game in an away campaign after Gainsborough Trinity in 1901-02 (3.23A 0.24F).

• For the third year in a row, Stoke City will have a different manager in the dugout for their first home match of the year (Alex Neil in 2023, Steven Schumacher in 2024).

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Mark Robins' first press conference since being appointed as new head coach of Stoke City produced several interesting moments.

The 55-year-old takes charge of the Potters for the first time on Saturday in their home clash with Plymouth Argyle after Ryan Shawcross' impressive short tenure as interim boss came to an end.

And he was buoyant about his chances in guiding the club back to the Premier League after a six-and-a-half-year absence - here's the key points of his interview.

• Robins confirmed he would "really like to to manage in the Premier League" before he retires.

• The former Coventry boss stated he had a shortlist of clubs he would like to manage and Stoke City was one of them.

• Robins emphasised he is "all in" at Stoke now, despite having obvious affiliations to Coventry due to his seven-year spell at the CBS Arena where he was, at the time, the longest-serving manager in the EFL.

• Believes Stoke are "a really good fit" for him.

• There is not a set blueprint to turn around Stoke's fortunes but he will not simply try to replicate his work at Coventry.

• Robins thinks Stoke owner John Coates and sporting director Jon Walters are "very good football people" and "die-hard Stoke City supporters" and told BBC Radio Stoke he is really excited to work for them.

• Recognises he needs to understand the identity of the club and promised to try and align the club with Stoke's motto- "United strength is stronger".

Stoke's outgoing interim boss Ryan Shawcross says he had very little sleep during his tenure in charge of the club which saw him earn four points out of a possible six.

Shawcross, 37, is a club legend in the Potteries having spent more than 15 years at the Bet365 Stadium, first as a player and then coach.

But he admitted he found it difficult to unwind while acting as caretaker head coach after the sacking of Narcis Pelach.

"It's intense, I've slept very little, my throat's gone and I feel ill," Shawcross told BBC Radio Stoke following his side's 0-0 draw with Burnley.

"The absolute desire for me to be a manager is there but it was a very intense four, five days.

"There was a lot going on but the biggest thing was how much I enjoyed it and loved pitting my wits against the Sunderland manager and today against Scott Parker."

Shawcross will return to his role as the club's under-21 head coach now Mark Robins' backroom staff has been confirmed before the former Coventry boss' first game in charge of the club - Saturday's home fixture against Plymouth Argyle.

"The new manager is in place, he'll take [first-team training] tomorrow, I'll go back down to the under-21s and start learning again," Shawcross added.

"It's been a great experience for me, I can only thank the owner and Walts [sporting director Jonathan Walters] for giving me this opportunity."

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Stoke City have confirmed that Paul Nevin and James Rowberry will join the club to form new boss Mark Robins' backroom staff at the Bet365 Stadium.

Robins, 55, was appointed new Potters boss on New Year's Day before their hard-fought 0-0 draw at Championship promotion contenders Burnley.

In a statement posted on their club website, external, Stoke also confirmed that assistant coach and former Potters midfielder Dean Whitehead has left the club.

Nevin arrives in Staffordshire after spells with West Ham and the England Under-20 set-up while Rowberry will continue his duties as an assistant to Craig Bellamy with the Wales national team alongside his new role at Stoke.

Ryan Shawcross, whose impressive spell as interim head coach saw him pick up four points from a possible six against Sunderland and Burnley over the festive period, will return to his role as the club's under-21s head coach.

Robins' first press conference as Potters boss will take place at 16:00 GMT on Thursday.

Mark Elliott
BBC Radio Stoke commentator

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There's a weariness around Stoke City.

The club have money. They have passionate fans and great facilities but they have failed to muster anything close to a credible promotion challenge since relegation from the Premier League in 2018.

Managers and coaches have come and gone, each arriving with fanfare and the promise of a new dawn.

Narcis Pelach is the latest to be replaced - a bright, respected young coach quickly dulled by the club's malaise and his own difficulty in turning theories into results.

This is a big appointment for inexperienced sporting director Jon Walters.

He has overseen one big failure and can ill afford another with Stoke at the wrong end of the table, despite the goodwill his playing career at the club has earned him.

So, Mark Robins gets the chance to turn things around.

He's experienced, recently successful and, if he succeeds, he'll quickly become a legend in the Potteries.

If he can't? He'll just become the latest cab off the rank for a fanbase that's been here too many times before.

Image source, Rex Features

Stoke caretaker manager Ryan Shawcross said his first win in temporary charge is "the sort of thing you dream of" and does not want the side to be dull to watch.

The former Potters centre-back was put in interim control following the sacking of Narcis Pelach two days ago.

And he saw an immediate reaction from the players as they clinched a dramatic win against the Black Cats.

"It was a really strong performance and at times I thought we looked a really good team," Shawcross told BBC Radio Stoke.

"The game plan was a risky one as I wanted the lads to go for it and get after Sunderland. I knew at times they would cut through us if we did at times but, second half, I felt we had a right good 20 minutes where we probably didn't get enough finishes or end product.

"Then to win it in the last minute and the feeling in the stadium was amazing and the sort of thing you dream of.

"It was a slight change in formation, a slight change in attitude and in how we wanted to play.

"I just want to watch Stoke and not be bored or see teams sitting back. I want to go for it.

"With a few slight changes I think there is a group in there who can move forward and be successful. The season has not been great but we spoke about a moment in the season where you have an upturn and hopefully that was it.

Shawcross was also asked whether he wants the job full-time and said he would " concentrate on Burnley [the next game] if they need me to take it".

He added he would "love to know what is going to happen" but said "you never know in football".