Stoke City

Image source, Opta

Table-topping Middlesbrough will seek to extend their perfect home record when Stoke head to The Riverside on Tuesday night (19:45 BST).

The Potters are third, four points adrift of unbeaten Boro, who came back to draw 1-1 at Southampton on Saturday.

Rob Edwards' men are the third leading scorers in the Championship while having the stingiest defence with just five goals conceded in their opening seven matches.

Mark Robins' Potters also came from behind to draw 1-1 at home to Norwich on Saturday but after winning their first two away games, they went down 1-0 at QPR in their most recent away game.

• Middlesbrough completed a league double over Stoke City last season, and could win three in a row against the Potters for only the second time since WWII, after June 2020.

• Stoke have won on just one of their past nine league visits to Middlesbrough (D2 L6), a 2-0 victory in October 2023.

• Middlesbrough have won all three of their Championship home games this season, and could win each of their opening four home matches of a second tier campaign for the sixth time, after 1925-26, 1969-70, 1971-72, 1991-92, and 2018-19.

• Stoke have won three of their past six away league games (D1 L2), as many as their previous 20 beforehand (W3 D5 L12).

• Middlesbrough's Rob Edwards has won both of his previous managerial games against Stoke in the Championship, each with Luton in February 2023 (1-0) and December 2024 (2-1).

Mark Elliott
BBC Radio Stoke's Potters commentator

Image source, Rex Features

That Stoke only took a point from the game against Norwich was undoubtedly disappointing but the dominance they displayed is a cause for huge optimism.

Tomas Rigo is a player. As the game went on he grew in influence, roaming and finding pockets of space and showcasing his creativity as his confidence grew.

His central midfield colleague Tatsuki Seko was outstanding deputising for the injured Lewis Baker while the front four all had great moments without getting the little details right, away from a well taken equaliser from Sorba Thomas.

Mark Robins used the word "detail" repeatedly after the game and it's those small actions in big moments that Stoke can look to as they try and improve again as a unit.

That they're already in a position where they can sweat the small stuff is a positive in itself but individuals making the best possible decision in big moments and executing the choice with precision more often than not is what will turn a good team into a great one that can realistically compete for promotion.

The basics are there. Work rate, endeavour and will were showcased in abundance and the crowd at the bet365 Stadium are responding with incredible support.

When Steven Nzonzi made his return to the pitch in the second half, a World Cup winner's medal richer than when he first left the Potteries all those years ago, the reception was thunderous.

Robins said his smart watch warned him about dangerous noise levels nearby as the crowd got right behind his team.

Get the details right over the coming weeks and all the talk will focus on decibels and just how far this side can go.

Stoke boss Mark Robins was proud of his side's performance despite seeing them drop points at home to Norwich.

The Potters manager told BBC Radio Stoke:

"From minute one we were really good, we looked dangerous and I thought we deserved more.

"We were in the ascendancy from the off and to a man we were outstanding, that is probably the most dominant we have ben in games this season. They were hanging on, the only downside was we didn't take the three points.

"I thought we worked really hard, it is just the fine details we need to tighten up in the final third. We have had a lot of chance to go out and win the game.

"We had one brief spell of making stupid decisions, which gave them an opening and they took advantage."

Stoke City manager Mark Robins has been speaking to the media before the Potters' clash with Norwich City on Saturday (15:00 BST).

Here are the main talking points:

• Robins believes the Championship is "pretty open" with most teams viable promotion contenders. He sees Middlesbrough as the "early pacesetters" but says his side have "done pretty well."

• He says Stoke's biggest achievements this season has been finding ways to beat varying qualities of opponents and getting away wins. Robins added "the evolution has been significant" from when he took over, with Stoke City 19th in the Championship in January compared to second in the league currently.

• Despite an ideal start, Robins has warned the players not to get complacent. Good performances and graft, "competitiveness" and "desire" must be maintained by the players to ensure success.

• Robins predicts Saturday's game against Norwich to be "a real challenge" and acknowledges joint Championship leading goalscorer Josh Sargent is a big threat for the visitors.

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

Image source, Opta

Norwich City travel to Stoke City on Saturday (15:00 BST) as 15th in the Championship takes on second.

Norwich are yet to lose on the road in the league this season but will aim to tighten up the defence after keeping only one clean sheet so far against 10-man Blackburn Rovers.

After a fast start, Stoke City have lost twice in their last three league games.

• Stoke City are winless in their last nine league meetings with Norwich (D3 L6) since a 1-0 away win in October 2018.

• Having lost six of their seven away league games against Stoke between 2005 and 2016 (W1), Norwich are now unbeaten in their last five visits (W2 D3).

• No side has conceded fewer Championship goals this season than Stoke (4), with the Potters yet to concede more than once in any of their six games so far.

• Norwich are unbeaten in all three of their away league games so far this season (W2 D1), in stark contrast to their home form of which they have lost all three.

• No player has scored more Championship goals this season than Norwich's Josh Sargent, with his five goals coming from just seven shots on target.

Image source, BBC Sport

A potential move to take the Championship play-offs down to eighth place would damage the competition's credibility, according to former Huddersfield, Stoke and Middlesbrough defender Tommy Smith.

The EFL board is set to discuss proposals to increase the number of teams in the end-of-season play-offs from four to six but Smith, who was promoted to the Premier League with Huddersfield via the play-offs in 2017 is not a fan of the idea.

"It's not for me - I think it suits teams who don't really have a chance to get in the top six," he told the BBC's EFL podcast 72+.

"From a credibility point of view the top six is there to be aimed at and you have to earn your place in it."

The play-offs were first introduced for the 1986-87 season where sides finishing third down to fifth were involved along with the team third-from-bottom in the top flight.

After two seasons the format was changed to be played out between teams finishing third to sixth in the second tier.

"To finish eighth in the Championship and potentially get promoted to the Premier League it just doesn't sit right with me," added Smith.

"Notoriously over the past years getting into the top six is tough and when you get in there after a long hard season it feels brilliant, so to make it a top eight it dilutes it."

Image source, Rex Features

Stoke City midfielder Tomas Rigo says he signed for the club because of the Potters' ambition to get back to the Premier League.

The 23-year-old Slovakian joined two days before the end of the transfer window, agreeing a four-year deal from Banik Ostrava.

"They introduced to me their plan and I liked it," Rigo told BBC Radio Stoke.

"They want to go back to the Premier League and I hope I can be part of that. They are a club with ambition.

"It was not a difficult decision. I wanted to move forward in my career and develop and Stoke was a a very good option for me.

"All the facilities are much better and I think it can develop me to the next level."

Rigo says he has settled in well over the past few weeks and said as soon as he met everyone he felt "like I'd been here two or three years".

He was introduced to the home fans ahead of the game against West Brom on day he signed - an experience he said was "very nice" adding the supporters were "incredible".

His introduction to the Championship has so far encompassed the 1-0 win over Birmingham City at the bet365 Stadium, and last Saturday's defeat by Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road.

Rigo says those matches have given him a sharp introduction to English football.

"The intensity is higher," he said.

"I don't have much time on the ball. I'm getting used to it and it's nothing I can't do.

"I'm a creative player and want to create chances and be dangerous in the final third."

Rigo is set to keep his place for Saturday's visit of Norwich City and says it is important that they "forget about" the QPR result.

"I'm happy to start two matches in a row and I believe we can keep our position in the league. I'm trying not to put pressure on myself and am going to play my game."

Stoke City goalkeeper Viktor Johansson says the Potters were not on the same level as Queens Park Rangers after suffering a 1-0 loss at Loftus Road on Saturday.

The defeat, their second in three league games, was not enough to see the Potters drop out of the top two but it has left them four points adrift of league leaders Middlesbrough.

Johansson had kept the Rs at bay in the second half with two excellent stops before Harvey Vale struck the winner on 75 minutes.

"We weren't near enough on their levels," Johansson told BBC Radio Stoke.

"We trained well all week. Different solutions to different problems, we just couldn't find it.

"It's frustrating. We've got so much more in us, we just couldn't get the energy."

Listen to the full post-match interview with Johansson and more Stoke City content on BBC Sounds.

Image source, Getty Images

Stoke manager Mark Robins said his team had been given a reality check at Queens Park Rangers.

Harvey Vale's second-half goal earned a 1-0 win for the hosts as the Potters fell to their first away defeat of the season.

Robins told BBC Radio Stoke: "That's the worst we've played this season. We have to maintain a level and maintain our non-negotiables, and we just didn't.

"We got exactly what we deserved, so it's back to the drawing board. Optimism is fantastic but unless you do things right all the time, and not just when you fancy it, you are going to come unstuck.

"Feet on the ground, which isn't a bad thing, but we have got to get back on it. That's two 12:30 kick-offs now where we've lost 1-0 and not played to our potential.

"It can't become a thing because there will be a few of them."

Mark Elliott
BBC Radio Stoke commentator

Image source, Getty Images

Mark Robins said it was "the worst we've played this season" and held to the high standards they have set over the past couple of months he certainly had a point.

Stoke just could not find the quality on the ball, intensity or incisiveness they have shown this season but despite the sub-par performance they could have still taken a point.

Million Manhoef missed an absolute sitter from close range with a second-half header that cleared the bar which almost loomed over him and Aaron Cresswell had a late shot cleared off the line.

In the end, QPR edged it in terms of overall performance and missed a couple of chances of their own in addition to the goal they scored but frustratingly, they were not that much better than a Stoke team stuck in second gear.

Loftus Road is compact and the pitch is small and a Potters side that likes to stretch the play horizontally as well as vertically never really seemed to get to grips with the narrowness of the field and the lack of space that caused.

Rangers allowed the Stoke centre-backs to keep possession without pressure but any pass into midfield was a trigger to press and they used the whitewash as an extra defender, closing down really effectively and forcing Stoke backwards with too much regularity.

Stoke misplaced too many passes when they did find space, made one or two poor decisions in the final third and generally looked like their sharpness had been dulled.

Robins made the point that they've lost two 12:30 kick-offs this season and was keen to point out that they can't "allow that to become a thing".

The manager was "disappointed" and the squad has good depth so it may be that some of those players who have been patiently waiting for a chance while the team has been winning sense an opportunity when Norwich visit the Bet365 next time out.

Stoke City boss Mark Robins insists there are "no easy games" in the Championship as he looks ahead to Saturday's game against QPR.

The Potters have enjoyed a strong start to the season, with four wins and one defeat in the opening five games.

"For me, there has been significant change, and positive change but we just have to keep that going," Robins told BBC Radio Stoke.

"I'm excited by the way we have started the season and obviously excited by what we can do moving forward.

"It is really early days, I can't stress that enough - we have played five games and each game has presented a different challenge, tomorrow will do the same."

Robins' side will look to maintain their perfect away start to the season when they visit MATRADE Loftus Road on Saturday lunchtime.

"We say this every week that there are no easy games," Robins added. "QPR have just had two really good back-to-back wins, so their confidence will be there.

"I know they lost heavily against Coventry but they bounced back from that and showed that it was just a blip."

Listen to Robins' full interview and more on Stoke City on BBC Sounds.

QPR go in search of a third straight Championship win when second-placed Stoke head to Loftus Road on Saturday lunchtime (12:30 BST).

Since the abject 7-1 defeat at Coventry, the Rs have won 3-1 against Charlton and then by the same scoreline at Wrexham last week.

Stoke bounced back from their first defeat of the season at home to West Brom with a 1-0 win over Birmingham last time out to sit a point behind pace-setters Middlesbrough.

• QPR have lost only one of their past eight home league games against Stoke City (W2 D5), a 2-0 defeat in December 2021.

• Stoke City have won two of their past three league meetings with Queens Park Rangers (D1), as many victories as they managed across their 11 games prior (W2 D4 L5).

• QPR forward Richard Kone has scored in three of his first four Championship appearances (three goals), netting in his last three in a row. Since 2004-05, only six players have netted in as many as four of their first five Championship appearances – Rob Hulse (2005), Diomansy Kamara (2006), Igor Vetokele (2014), Lyle Taylor (2019), Borja Baston (2019) and Ryan Hardie (2023).

• Stoke City have picked up 12 points in their first five Championship matches this season, their most in their opening five league games of a campaign since 1998-99 in the third tier (15).

• Stoke winger Sorba Thomas has progressed the ball 792 metres upfield with ball carries in the Championship this season, the most of any player, while he's also created the most chances following a ball carry (6).

"I'm not for a minute thinking play-offs or title charge or anything of the sort, even top half finish.

"But Stoke are in amongst the best vein of form they've been in 10 years. Everyone should be able to enjoy this."

Lucas Yeomans and Ben Rowley discuss an excellent start for Stoke City that has got them feeling excited, confused and, dare they say, positive for the season ahead.

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

Ben Wilmot has said Stoke City are aiming for the play-offs this season following their strong start to the Championship season.

Stoke have won four and lost one to open the season and marked their return after the international break with a 1-0 win over Birmingham City. They currently sit second in the Championship just one point behind leaders Middlesbrough.

The Potters have not finished in the top six since the 2007-08 season, when they reached second and were promoted to the Premier League.

Since relegation from the top-flight in 2017-18, they have finished no higher than 14th.

"We came back to pre-season determined not to have a season like we did last year. Then I think as pre-season progressed, we realised we should be aiming even higher with the group that we've got," Wilmot told BBC Radio Stoke.

"Everybody's ambitions now are really play-offs and we all fully believe we can get there."

With club captain and fellow centre-back Ben Gibson still fighting for a return to the first XI, Wilmot has worn the armband.

The centre-back will lead his side through a crucial portion of the season as they look to pick up points in the run of games before the October international break.

Wilmot sees the next few weeks as an opportunity for Stoke to fully establish themselves as play-off contenders for the season.

"The start of the season's always really key because everybody's on a level playing field," he added. "So if you can get as many points as you can early it gives you a buffer later on."

Listen to the full interview with Ben Wilmot and more Stoke City on Sounds.

Mark Elliott
BBC Radio Stoke's Stoke City commentator

Image source, Rex Features

Stoke City fans got three points and an instant cult hero as the Potters made it four wins out of five against one of the Championship's hype teams in Birmingham City.

The points came courtesy of a brilliant first-half performance which was full of creativity, intensity and excitement, punctuated by a looping Bosun Lawal header for the only goal of the game and followed by a stubborn defensive stand after the break.

It was Lawal's ninth career goal and, given his stature, it was more than a little bit surprising to hear him say after that it was the first header he's ever scored.

Lawal was immense in both boxes and continued a run of excellent performances at centre-back which have left two of the club's most eye-catching summer signings in Maksym Talovierov and Ashley Phillips struggling for game time.

Defensively, Stoke have strength in depth in their squad to rival any club in the league.

Another summer signing, Lamine Cisse, made his debut off the bench to further strengthen the attack and Sorba Thomas continued his fine start to the season, well supported by Million Manhoef and Bae Junho, who made an impact off the bench.

It was Junho's replacement in the starting 11 that really got the crowd going at the bet365 though.

Before the international break, newly acquired Tomas Rigo was presented to the crowd in jeans the size of a wedding marquee and knitwear that would be the envy of any grunge frontman of the early 1990s.

His swagger and bleach blonde hair whet the appetite, as did reports of his influence as Slovakia beat Germany and Luxembourg last week.

The Stoke fans loved his work-rate. He covered a huge amount of ground, was physical and played with a personality that matched his pre-game attire.

Mark Robins says he's a "proper footballer" too, with good technical ability and vision.

Withdrawn in the second half, his own name, sung from the stands by a crowd loving every second of this start to the season, may still be ringing around his ears.

Stoke are a good side. Four wins out of five has fans resetting their ambitions for the next nine months - and rightly so.

Naz Premji
BBC Final Score reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Stoke City are looking up again after many years at the wrong end of the Championship and Mark Robins has the Potters believing that the good times are coming back.

One player who has been superb since arriving at the bet365 Stadium is keeper Viktor Johansson.

The Swedish shot-stopper, who is a product of the Aston Villa and Hammerby academies, made his name at Rotherham United where all his managers described him as "the best keeper in the league".

He joined Stoke last year and he was again solid in their 1-0 victory over Birmingham on Saturday.

The fans I spoke to are in no doubt that "he is a Premier League stopper stuck in the Championship and if we don't go up he will go".

Those fans are quietly hopeful that this could be their season and if it is they will hope Big Viktor is helping them in the top league.

Stoke City boss Mark Robins says his side need to be "more ruthless" despite taking a 1-0 victory over Birmingham City in the Championship on Saturday.

"I thought we were really good – it was brilliant, inside the stadium it was really noisy. I thought we started off really well, high intensity, and I thought we carried that through, particularly in the first half, I thought we were outstanding," Robins told BBC Radio Stoke.

"In the second half, things changed a little bit. Turnover of possession was a little bit more frequent, but that was when both sides start to tire, they made plenty of changes, we made a few changes – we made some wrong decisions at times.

"The only criticism I've got is we get the ball around the edge of their penalty area, we break away and we are doing that to create the space to shoot and we don't – we turn it down. It becomes very frustrating, we can shoot, we've got players who can score goals. Move the ball, find the space, shoot.

"We could have had another goal, maybe two, we've been a bit unfortunate but we have to be more ruthless there to take the game away from them – (but) really pleasing with the clean sheet and the noise inside the stadium was incredible."

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

Image source, Getty Images

Stoke City boss Mark Robins has said the international break has been "strange" with players coming back later into the week.

Stoke had 14 players called up for international duty which has made planning and preparation for Saturday's game against Birmingham City (15:00 BST) additionally challenging.

Robins' side have started the season with three wins from their opening four games, their only defeat coming in the most recent fixture against West Bromwich Albion.

"There's been a mixture of rest and recovery and running repairs and training, I gave them a few days off at the start and a few days off at the end and worked in the middle which generally works OK," Robins told BBC Radio Stoke.

"I managed to get work into the ones that are remaining, there's almost 50% of the squad away on international duty and at various contributions for each national team and for each individual, so we try and factor that into what happens this week.

"Clearly it's punctuated because they don't come back in until later in the week so it's strange because you need to get the work into them, they need to do the physical stuff.

"That's what it's been like, and now we're working into what is a really tough opponent with Birmingham City."

Robins has praised the work conducted by Birmingham City head coach Chris Davies.

Davies joined the Blues in June 2024 and led them to a record-breaking season in League One finishing with 111 points.

Birmingham have won two and drawn one of their opening four games with their first defeat coming in their last game against Leicester at the King Power Stadium.

"I think it's well documented, what they're trying to do with the stadium that they're talking about building and the rejuvenation of that club is clear for everyone to see and he's been a catalyst for that in the main role," Robins said.

"It's a tough game, they're very aggressive, they work really hard, and they've got some real talented players in the team so, you're under no illusions, it's a tough game but a brilliant game for us to restart with."

Listen to the full interview and more on BBC Sounds.

Stoke City will take on Birmingham City on Saturday (15:00 BST) with the Potters in their best season-opening form since 2021, when they won three and drew one Championship game.

Birmingham City will look to return to winning ways after losing 2-0 at Leicester City before the international break.

• Stoke City have won only one of their last eight league games against Birmingham City (D4 L3); a 3-1 away win in December 2023.

• Birmingham City are unbeaten in their last four away league games against Stoke City (W2 D2), winning on each of their previous two trips.

• After losing 1-0 to West Bromwich Albion last time out, Stoke are looking to avoid successive home league defeats for the first time since September 2024.

• Birmingham's 2-0 defeat at Leicester City last time out ended a run of 16 successive league games unbeaten (W13 D3). They haven't lost successive league matches since April 2024.

• Stoke's Sorba Thomas has played more passes into the opposition box than any other Championship player this season (45), while only Sheffield Wednesday's Barry Bannan and Southampton's Ryan Manning (12 each) have created more chances than the Stoke winger (11).