Stoke City host Charlton Athletic at the Bet365 Stadium on 5 September 2026 and the table tells the story before a ball is kicked. Charlton sit third with ten points from four games, while Stoke are 22nd with one win and nine goals conceded. Mark Robins took charge at Stoke on 1 January 2025, replacing Narcís Pèlach, while Nathan Jones has been at Charlton since 4 February 2024 after succeeding Michael Appleton and the two managers have not crossed paths often enough to draw anything meaningful from their record against each other.
Stoke's 1-0 win over Norwich City on 1 September does not change what the numbers already say: one win, nine conceded and a place at the foot of the table after four games, a problem Robins cannot paper over with a single good result. Charlton have been a different proposition entirely, with three wins and a draw including a 1-0 win over Preston North End in late August that put them in the top three after four games.
Both squads are heavily disrupted, though Charlton's absentee list is the longer one. Stoke are missing McNally, Tchamadeu and Cresswell through knee injuries, plus Cissé with a knock, while Ingelsson is inactive and Pearson is a doubt, stripping out a significant chunk of defensive cover before kick off. Charlton's absentees number seven: Ramsay and Edwards with ankle problems, Chalobah and Koumetio with muscle issues, Sichenje (knee), Godden (muscle) and Kelman (shoulder), a total that will put Jones under real pressure to maintain the structure that has served them so well in the opening weeks.
With McNally and Cresswell both absent alongside Tchamadeu, Stoke's back line is undermanned before Charlton even touch the ball. Galbraith sits deep in midfield to provide control, Sam Gallagher leads the line and Bae Jun-Ho adds an extra attacking outlet. Set pieces have been a consistent Robins theme and remain Stoke's clearest route to goal when they cannot build through midfield, with both Thomas and Galbraith capable deliverers from dead ball situations. Covering the spaces Charlton's press is designed to exploit will be harder with those three centre-backs absent.
Charlton's identity this season has been built on pressing high and transitioning quickly and Lloyd Jones organises a back line that has conceded just three in four games, though the defensive absentees make that record harder to replicate here. The battle in midfield is where the game turns: if Galbraith can get on the ball and build attacks at his own pace, Stoke have a chance, if Charlton win it back quickly and find Campbell in space, they almost certainly score.
Recent meetings have been fairly even, each side winning two of the last four encounters. Charlton won 1-0 in February 2026 while Stoke beat them 3-0 in November 2025 and the distance between those scorelines says as much about the unpredictability in this fixture as anything else.
Charlton to win 2-1. Their press should force Stoke into long balls they cannot compete for with three centre-backs unavailable and the nine goals Stoke have already conceded this season speak directly to the defensive gaps Campbell has been finding and finishing against. Stoke might nick something from a set piece but Charlton win this.
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?.
