Stoke City vs Oldham Athletic - prediction, team news, lineups

Both commencing their competitory schedules successful the 2026-27 campaign, Stoke City and Oldham Athletic clash astatine the bet365 Stadium successful the archetypal circular of the EFL Cup connected Saturday afternoon.

The Potters person picked up immoderate commendable results successful pre-season, including a 1-1 gully with Valencia past clip out, whilst the Latics enjoyed a four-goal smashing of Sheffield Wednesday connected location soil.

Match preview

Heading into their ninth consecutive play arsenic a Championship nine pursuing relegation from the Premier League successful 2018, Stoke City are the models of consistency, placing betwixt 14th and 18th successful 8 consecutive seasons.

The Potters are undeniably the embodiment of modern midtable mediocrity successful the 2nd tier of English football, however, pre-season results suggest that they could beryllium successful enactment for much breathtaking times successful 2026-27.

After losing to Portuguese giants Braga connected July 10, Mark Robins's men person enjoyed a four-game unbeaten tally (W2 D2) successful affable contests, with the prime of the results coming via a 1-0 triumph implicit Premier League Everton connected July 28.

Dumped retired of the EFL Cup successful the 2nd circular by League One Bradford City past season, the Potters are looking for a amended tally this play successful a contention that they won successful 1972, beating Chelsea 2-1 successful the Wembley final.

With engine-room pairing Steven Nzonzi and Lewis Baker departing, the Staffordshire nine person embarked connected a midfield gyration successful the summertime transportation window, recruiting Svante Ingelsson, Djibril Soumare and Ethan Galbraith.

This clip past year, Oldham were a newly-promoted broadside successful League Two pursuing their National League playoff success, meaning that they had to play successful a preliminary circular of the EFL Cup, losing heavy astatine Accrington Stanley.

However, connected the backmost of a commendable 10th-placed successful the 4th tier past campaign, the Latics find themselves successful the first-round due for the archetypal clip since 2021-22 - a word which ended successful relegation to non-league.

Whilst plying their commercialized arsenic a top-flight nine successful 1989-90, Oldham reached the last of the EFL Cup, with a Nottingham Forest broadside managed by Brian Clough winning the showpiece lucifer 1-0 astatine Wembley Stadium successful beforehand of astir 75,000 spectators.

Focusing connected the present and now, Micky Mellon's broadside mislaid 3 consecutive matches astatine the commencement of their pre-season docket earlier hitting League One broadside Sheffield Wednesday for 4 without reply connected August 1.

After spending past play Southend United, 24-year-old Keenan Appiah-Forson is present astatine Oldham, with the midfielder uncovering the nett against the Owls and impressing wide during pre-season.

Stoke City affable form:

L D W W D

Oldham Athletic affable form:

L L L W

Team News

Last season's starring marksman and playmaker for Stoke, Wales planetary Sorba Thomas has entered the premier of his vocation and should beryllium a main antheral successful onslaught for the hosts erstwhile again this season.

With the opening lucifer of the Championship run inactive a week away, Potters brag Robins could unleash his first-choice midfield astatine the bet365 Stadium this weekend, with the likes of Galbraith and Ingelsson successful enactment for competitory debuts.

One of the best-performing second-tier goalkeepers since the commencement of the 2020s, Viktor Johansson is backmost from a summertime of playing 2nd fiddle to Derby County's Jacob Zetterstrom for Sweden astatine the World Cup.

Following a palmy proceedings play implicit the people of pre-season, Oldham person decided to manus a nonrecreational declaration to erstwhile Harrogate Town winger Tom Hill, who could marque his competitory debut this weekend.

Back for his 3rd abstracted indebtedness spell astatine Boundary Park, Kai Payne has joined connected a impermanent woody for this play from Wigan Athletic, with the 21-year-old appearing 32 times successful League Two during 2025-26.

The visitors are without the services of midfielder Jack Stevens, who suffered a superior genu wounded and volition acquisition country to resoluteness the contented aft picking up the occupation implicit the summer.

Stoke City imaginable starting lineup:

Johansson; Talovierov, Lawal, Wilmot, Bocat; Galbraith, Soumare, Ingelsson; Manhoef, Thomas, Smit

Oldham Athletic imaginable starting lineup:

Hudson; Scott-Morriss; Robson, Daniels, Norburn; Appiah-Forson, Kavanagh, Drummond, Fawunmi; Nevitt, Delaney

We say: Stoke City 2-0 Oldham Athletic

Keen to amusement disconnected their new-look midfield, Stoke are the wide favourites for progression to the 2nd circular this weekend.

Oldham precocious enjoyed a standout pre-season triumph implicit Sheffield Wednesday but are apt to commence their competitory docket with decision successful Staffordshire.

For information investigation of the astir apt results, scorelines and much for this lucifer delight click here.