Stoke City vs Derby Predictions

• Stoke took four points from their games against Derby last season.
• The Potters lost just two of their final eight games last season.
• Derby lost 13 of their 24 trips last term.

Early marker for Stoke and Derby

Stoke City start the new campaign the same way they finished the last with a clash against Derby County.

These two sides played out a goalless draw at Pride Park in the final round of fixtures last season and Saturday’s game looks like a good early chance for these respective teams to see how far they have progressed over the summer, as Stoke finished just one point and one place above the Rams last season.

Derby have recruited well over the summer by adding Carlton Morris, Danny Batth and Andreas Weimann to their ranks and they may enjoy a better season than they did last term, where relegation was a very real threat for periods.

Stoke have also strengthened and they should head into the new campaign in optimistic mood as Mark Robins takes charge for his first full season.

There doesn’t look a great deal to separate these two sides so home advantage could be the decider. Stoke edged the head-to-head games last season with four points and they finished strongly under Robins, with just two defeats in their final eight games – and those losses both came against teams who finished in the top three.

With little to split these teams, it could be a narrow win for Stoke and a 2-1 home win has a chance. The Potters conceded in three of their final four home assignments and Derby have scored in all of their pre-season games so the Rams should be able to strike in defeat.