Stoke City vs Burnley
Scott Parker’s Burnley continue their pre-season preparation with a trip to the Potteries on Saturday to take on Championship side Stoke City in an intriguing Club Friendly.
There is a lot of synergy between these two clubs. Both Stoke and Burnley have a rich history and then fell on difficult times around the period the Premier League was founded in 1992. The 21st century has been kinder to the two clubs, in communities both steeped in working-class culture and with a passionate fan base. Stoke were promoted to the Premier League in 2008 and stayed there until 2018, and became known as a tough band of brothers, which gave rise to the question. “Can you go to Stoke on a wet Tuesday night and still perform?”
The answer from the elite among the top-flight was not always certain. Then, when Burnley were promoted to the top-flight in 2014 and spent eight of the next 10 seasons in the Premier League, the same applied to the East Lancashire town. Players and managers alike will tell you how Turf Moor was one of the toughest places to go, especially on a wet Tuesday night.
Well, Burnley are back in the Premier League, while Stoke are hoping manager Mark Robins can transform his squad from an 18th-place finish to become challengers in 2025/26. But firstly, Stoke face the team which won 2-0 at home as the Clarets marched to promotion last seaso.
Robins aims to revive Stoke
Stoke have a tasty Midlands clash with Derby County to start their campaign on Saturday, 9th August, and they will hope to put last season’s dismal showing behind them. While Burnley have yo-yoed over the past three campaigns following the end of their stint in the Premier League, the Potters have finished between 14th and 18th since they were relegated in 2018.
Mark Robins managed Coventry City for seven campaigns, winning promotion back to the second tier and then taking the Sky Blues into the Championship play-offs and almost reaching the FA Cup final in 2024, denied by a VAR offside call and then losing to Manchester United on penalties. But, in this mad world of hire and fire, Coventry ditched their best manager for some time after a slow start to the 2024-25 season, and Stoke City snapped him up.
With a full pre-season to work with, Robins has a chance to improve Stoke, and they have had a good pre-season, drawing with Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-1 last weekend as Bae Jun-Ho gave the Potters a lead before Hwang Hee-Chan levelled for the Premier League side.
The experienced pair of centre-back Ben Gibson and forward Sam Gallagher are set to return in time for the visit of Burnley, while new signings Aaron Cresswell and Sorba Thomas are both in contention.
More dealing for Parker to do
Burnley swept back into the big time with five wins in their last five games to take them past 100 points, making them the first team to reach that mark in two campaigns in the same division (hitting 101 points in 2023) and the first team to reach 100 without winning the league. But Parker, who has previously led Bournemouth and Fulham to the promised land, knows that dominating the second tier and surviving in the top league are two entirely different challenges.
Along with Leeds United and Sunderland, Burnley will struggle next season, according to the Club Friendly 2025 betting odds, but all three have recruited well and are ready to give it a good shot. But with a month of dealing still to be done, the Clarets are busy behind the scenes. They have made six signings already, including Manchester City legend Kyle Walker, exciting French forward Loum Tchaouna, and Dutch international wing-back Quilindschy Hartman, and they have made four of last season’s loans permanent.
In terms of outgoings, the Clarets’ record-breaking defence has been broken up with centre-back CJ Egan-Riley transferring to Marseille, and keeper James Trafford has returned to Manchester City. But the player they most wanted to keep hold of, defencive lynchpin Maxime Esteve, has signed an extended contract. Now, Parker needs to bring in another keeper, a midfield enforcer, and a striker, and either sell or loan at least 10 of their fringe players.
This is one of the most exciting times of the year for SBOTOP football supporters, and this fan in particular as the Clarets face Thomas Frank’s Tottenham Hotpsur in their Premier League opener when they make their return to the top table. Stoke fans have reason to be hopeful too, with one of the brightest managers in the EFL leading them.
This match is a friendly. But make no mistake, the Potters will be keen to go into the new campaign on a winning run, while the Clarets have two weeks to get it right, and then it’s all about getting positive Club Friendly 2025 results to build momentum ahead of the new season.
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