Ennis starts: The predicted Stoke City XI to face Coventry on Saturday | OneFootball

FLW predict the starting line-up as Stoke play host to the Sky Blues on the opening weekend of the Championship season

Highlights

Stoke City are hoping to finally crack the top-half of the Championship table in 2024/25 under Steven Schumacher after years of disappointment since relegation in 2018.

The Potters are yet to achieve a top-12 finish in the second-tier since they were relegated, but things have been looking up since Schumacher's appointment last December, as he guided them to safety and finished in 17th in 2023/24.

With the likes of Tyrese Campbell, Wesley and Ciaran Clark all departing upon the expiry of their contracts in July, Schumacher is yet to sell a player for a transfer fee so far this summer, but that is set to change this month as Stoke's transfer business ramps up with the new campaign nearly underway.

He has added four new faces to his squad so far, with goalkeeper Viktor Johansson, centre-back Ben Gibson, wing-back Eric Bocat and striker Sam Gallagher arriving from Rotherham United, Norwich City, Sint-Truiden and Blackburn Rovers respectively, and more incomings are set to follow soon.

Schumacher's men will be after building on their impressive end to the last campaign in the early stages of the new season, and will hope to get off to a strong start as they host Coventry City on August 10 in an all-Midlands affair on the opening weekend of the Championship.

The Potters are facing a Sky Blues outfit that is expecting to push for a play-off place this season, and ahead of a curtain-raising clash in ST4, we have predicted the hosts' starting lineup.

GK: Viktor Johansson

Barring injuries, Viktor Johansson will likely have one of the most nailed down spots in Schumacher's side this season, as number one ahead of Jack Bonham and Frank Fielding.

The Swedish international joined Stoke from Rotherham in May, after building a reputation for himself as one of the league's best keepers while at the New York Stadium.

RB: Junior Tchamadeu

20-year-old Junior Tchamadeu had a tough debut season in the Potteries due to injuries and loss of form, but will be hoping to secure himself a consistent starting berth this campaign and prove that he is ready to be Schumacher's go-to man at right-back.

He only featured 15 times in the league last season, but has seen loanee Ki-Jana Hoever return to Wolves this summer, and so he is the club's only out-and-out right-sided defender as it stands.

CB: Ben Wilmot

Ben Wilmot will be one of Schumacher's starting centre-backs this weekend, as he seeks to stay off the treatment table this season after suffering consecutive serious back and knee injuries in 2022/23 and 2023/24.

He is heading into his fourth season as a Potters' player after joining from Watford in 2021, and surpassed 100 appearances for the club last campaign.

The second new signing of Schumacher's likely starting eleven against Coventry, Ben Gibson, arrived at the bet365 Stadium from Norwich earlier in the summer and will add a wealth of experience to Stoke's relatively young side.

Both him and Wilmot will have anticipated having more competition to start games this season, but Stoke are lacking centre-back depth right now due to Michael Rose's injury, and there have been no more new additions so far at the heart of defence.

LB: Eric Bocat

Eric Bocat should complete Stoke's new-look backline for the visit of the Sky Blues, and he will be looking for a stellar start to life in English football after joining from Sint-Truiden on a four-year contract at the end of June.

The 25-year-old is an attack-minded defender who was mainly used as a wing-back at his previous club, but will likely be tasked with balancing his forward play alongside his defensive duties as a full-back under Schumacher this season.

DM: Jordan Thompson

Northern Ireland international Jordan Thompson is Stoke's current longest-serving player after Tyrese Campbell's departure, and will feel as if he has never been in a better place in his Potters career so far.

Thompson is set to start the season at the base of Schumacher's midfield after impressing in the second-half of 2023/24, with his nearest competitor Ben Pearson due to be out injured for the first three months of the new campaign.

CM: Josh Laurent

City club captain Josh Laurent has been strongly linked with a move away from the bet365 Stadium this summer, but remains at the club heading into the opening weekend and will surely retain his place in the midfield as an advanced number eight.

Laurent was a near-ever present under Schumacher last season and played a key role in Stoke's good form at the end of the campaign, so a concrete decision needs to be made on his future soon to give both club and player clarity going forward.

CM: Wouter Burger

There has also been talk of Wouter Burger leaving Stoke for pastures new this summer after his standout debut 2023/24 campaign, but no offers have seemingly come in for him from any bigger clubs, and Stoke will want to do all they can to hold on to him before the window closes.

The 23-year-old registered four goals and four assists in 41 games in all competitions last season as a box-to-box midfielder, and looks set to play in a more forward-thinking role this season, beginning alongside Laurent against Coventry.

RW: Million Manhoef

Dutch winger Million Manhoef joined Stoke in January from Vitesse for around £3.4m, and was an inspired signing in the second-half of last season as he netted key goals against West Brom, Plymouth Argyle and Bristol City to help the Potters survive.

He will continue as Schumacher's first-choice on the right-wing in the new season, and will hope to add to his tally against Coventry to get his first full season in the Potteries off to a strong start.

ST: Niall Ennis

Niall Ennis was another January signing by Schumacher as he looked to bolster his attacking ranks, but did not quite have the same impact as Manhoef, and so will be looking for a reprieve in 2024/25 if he is given a starting berth against Coventry.

Ennis may not have expected to begin the season as Stoke's main striking option, but Ryan Mmaee's illness and an injury to new man Sam Gallagher mean he is set to feature in the starting eleven this weekend ahead of youngsters Emre Tezgel and Nathan Lowe.

Andre Vidigal will hope to start this season off as well as he did the last, after he netted a brace on his Potters debut against Rotherham in 2023/24's curtain-raiser.

The Portuguese winger is set to start on the left against the Sky Blues ahead of the sidelined Bae Jun-ho, that is if he overcomes an injury issue of his own after missing last weekend's final friendly against AZ Alkmaar.