Stoke sit sixth in the Championship with 19 points from 11 games and host Bristol City at the bet365 Stadium on 24 October 2026. Bristol arrive in 16th place on 14 points, having lost their last two home games by a single goal each time. The fixture brings together two sides with genuinely different identities: Stoke have been defensively solid since switching to a back three in early September, while Bristol under Michael Skubala are trying to build something more patient and possession oriented.
Mark Robins took charge of Stoke on 2 January 2025, replacing Narcis Pelach and Michael Skubala was appointed Bristol City manager on 29 May 2026 after Roy Hodgson's brief interim spell. The two have never faced each other directly, so there is no tactical record to draw on.
Stoke have collected 19 points from the last 24 available, including a 1-0 win over Derby County on 17 October and a 10 man victory against Bolton around 11 October, with a narrow late defeat to Middlesbrough sandwiched in between. Bristol's recent run reads L L D W L, with both losses coming 1-0 at home against Sheffield United and Blackburn Rovers. One goal across three winless games leaves Skubala's side close enough to the bottom third that another defeat would make the table uncomfortable reading.
Stoke are without Sam Gallagher and Ato Ampah through injury, with Eric Bocat a doubt due to a knee problem, which leaves the wing back slots and the forward line noticeably thin. Ben Wilmot continues to anchor the defence with more than 200 appearances to his name, while Jack McGlynn and Justin Devenny have settled quickly enough into midfield and attack to ease some of the pressure those absences create.
Bristol have uncertainty over Lorent Tolaj, who has a muscle problem but has returned to training and could still feature, while Noah Eile is also a doubt. Luke McNally's return from a long term injury steadies the defensive line, though the forward line has cycled through different partnerships in recent away games without settling on a consistent combination.
Wilmot and the goal scoring Luke Graham allow the wing backs to push forward selectively while the midfield screen protects the centre and Viktor Johansson's long distribution directly into McGlynn's feet has become a way of skipping Bristol's press entirely. Devenny runs the channels in behind the opposition back four rather than holding up play, giving Stoke a threat on the break that does not depend on the injured Gallagher.
Bristol's 4-2-3-1 relies on Jason Knight anchoring midfield, Scott Twine as the primary creative outlet, Yu Hirakawa dropping deep to link play and rotate with Twine and Rio Cardines cutting inside from the right. The system needs patience to work but Bristol have controlled possession in recent away trips without scoring and their set piece defending is the more pressing concern given what Stoke do from dead balls.
The individual battle worth watching is Twine trying to find pockets between Stoke's midfield and defensive lines against Stoke's disciplined central positioning. Graham's header from the Derby corner is the clearest illustration of what Stoke do at dead balls: win the first contact, win the second ball in the box. McNally's return at least gives Bristol some aerial presence at corners to reduce the risk of Graham winning a free header at the near post. Tolaj could run the channels behind Stoke's wing backs if fit enough to start or come off the bench, though Stoke's structural discipline should keep those moments rare.
The recent head to head is volatile: a 5-1 Stoke win in November 2025, two 2-0 Bristol wins around that and a 4-0 Stoke result in May 2024 alongside a 2-2 draw from the same campaign. Stoke tend to run up bigger scores when going direct, while Bristol have shown they can shut games out.
Graham's aerial threat at corners is where Stoke are most dangerous from dead balls and with Tolaj and Eile both doubts, Skubala has less to work with in the forward positions than Robins does, which matters if Bristol need to chase the game. Johansson's distribution should allow Stoke to bypass Bristol's press and keep the game in their own half for extended periods and the most likely route to three points runs through Graham at a corner or McGlynn cutting Bristol open on the break, with Bristol perhaps grabbing a late reply but not enough for anything more than a narrow home win.
Prediction: Stoke to win 2-1.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
