The Potters will look to get two wins on the bounce by beating an impressive Southampton side
under the lights at St Mary’s Stadium.
Stoke’s atrocious run of form has finally come to an end with a spectacular comeback win against
Bristol City.
This could be the start of something special for Alex Neil’s Stoke City. It’s crucial to remember that
sides such as Coventry and Middlesbrough didn’t endure great starts to the season last year but still
reached the playoffs.
Consistency is key in The Championship and if Alex Neil can get performances out of the squad like we saw on Saturday there is no way The Potters won't be able to get a consistent run of results together.
The fight the team showed on Saturday was something which has been missing for too long and a
win against Southampton on Tuesday night will really show how far Alex Neil has taken this team.
Here’s everything you need to know about The Potters' upcoming game against The Saints…
Team News
There have still been no updates surrounding Tyrese Campbell's hamstring injury he picked up
against Hull City. The same goes for Enda Stevens who look to miss out on Tuesday night's fixture.
Predicted starting XI against Southampton:
(GK) Travers, Hoever, McNally, Wilmot, Gooch, Laurent, Pearson, Johnson, Leris, Wesley, Haksabanovic.
The Manager
Russell Martin joined from Swansea City at the start of the season and has had a decent start to the
season. Although Southampton don’t find themselves in the playoff spots, they are only 3 points off
so a win against Stoke is crucial.
Martins' first job in management was at MK Dons in the 2019/2020 season in which he achieved some impressive stats. Although the season was interrupted because of lockdown, Martin during that span had the highest average possession of all teams beside two in Europe (Man City and Barcelona.)
MK Dons also set the British record for the most passes made before a goal (56). Swansea City was Martin’s second job guiding them to 15th and 10th in the table ending the 2022/2023 season on a nine-game unbeaten streak.
Martins' style of play was the main reason Southampton were eager to sign him. His teams aim to
control possession and adopt a high press to force the opposition into mistakes.
Source: The Sports Grail
Opposition Player To Look Out For
Unsurprisingly, Stoke City will need to be aware of Adam Armstrong. Armstrong is Championship
royalty meaning that any time he’s in the second division he seems to cause havoc against every team he faces. The striker is currently the top goal scorer in the Championship so far with 7 goals
and will look to improve those numbers on Tuesday.
Head To Head
Southampton have been the most successful team overall, winning 34, drawing 15 and losing 30.
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