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

Both commencing their competitive schedules in the 2026-27 campaign, Stoke City and Oldham Athletic clash at the bet365 Stadium in the first round of the EFL Cup on Saturday afternoon.

The Potters have picked up some commendable results in pre-season, including a 1-1 draw with Valencia last time out, whilst the Latics enjoyed a four-goal smashing of Sheffield Wednesday on home soil.

Match preview

Heading into their ninth consecutive season as a Championship club following relegation from the Premier League in 2018, Stoke City are the models of consistency, placing between 14th and 18th in eight straight seasons.

The Potters are undeniably the embodiment of modern midtable mediocrity in the second tier of English football, however, pre-season results suggest that they could be in line for more exciting times in 2026-27.

After losing to Portuguese giants Braga on July 10, Mark Robins's men have enjoyed a four-game unbeaten run (W2 D2) in friendly contests, with the pick of the results coming via a 1-0 triumph over Premier League Everton on July 28.

Dumped out of the EFL Cup in the second round by League One Bradford City last season, the Potters are looking for a better run this season in a competition that they won in 1972, beating Chelsea 2-1 in the Wembley final.

With engine-room pairing Steven Nzonzi and Lewis Baker departing, the Staffordshire club have embarked on a midfield revolution in the summer transfer window, recruiting Svante Ingelsson, Djibril Soumare and Ethan Galbraith.

This time last year, Oldham were a newly-promoted side in League Two following their National League playoff success, meaning that they had to play in a preliminary round of the EFL Cup, losing heavily at Accrington Stanley.

However, on the back of a commendable 10th-placed in the fourth tier last campaign, the Latics find themselves in the first-round proper for the first time since 2021-22 - a term which ended in relegation to non-league.

Whilst plying their trade as a top-flight club in 1989-90, Oldham reached the final of the EFL Cup, with a Nottingham Forest side managed by Brian Clough winning the showpiece match 1-0 at Wembley Stadium in front of nearly 75,000 spectators.

Focusing on the here and now, Micky Mellon's side lost three consecutive matches at the start of their pre-season schedule before hitting League One side Sheffield Wednesday for four without reply on August 1.

After spending last season Southend United, 24-year-old Keenan Appiah-Forson is now at Oldham, with the midfielder finding the net against the Owls and impressing overall during pre-season.

Stoke City friendly form:

L D W W D

Oldham Athletic friendly form:

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Team News

Last season's leading marksman and playmaker for Stoke, Wales international Sorba Thomas has entered the prime of his career and should be a main man in attack for the hosts once again this season.

With the opening match of the Championship campaign still a week away, Potters boss Robins could unleash his first-choice midfield at the bet365 Stadium this weekend, with the likes of Galbraith and Ingelsson in line for competitive debuts.

One of the best-performing second-tier goalkeepers since the start of the 2020s, Viktor Johansson is back from a summer of playing second fiddle to Derby County's Jacob Zetterstrom for Sweden at the World Cup.

Following a successful trial period over the course of pre-season, Oldham have decided to hand a professional contract to former Harrogate Town winger Tom Hill, who could make his competitive debut this weekend.

Back for his third separate loan spell at Boundary Park, Kai Payne has joined on a temporary deal for this season from Wigan Athletic, with the 21-year-old appearing 32 times in League Two during 2025-26.

The visitors are without the services of midfielder Jack Stevens, who suffered a serious knee injury and will undergo surgery to resolve the issue after picking up the problem over the summer.

Stoke City possible starting lineup:

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

Oldham Athletic possible 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 show off their new-look midfield, Stoke are the clear favourites for progression to the second round this weekend.

Oldham recently enjoyed a standout pre-season win over Sheffield Wednesday but are likely to commence their competitive schedule with defeat in Staffordshire.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.