Predicted Stoke starting XI vs Bristol City as training makes Mark Robins purr

Mark Robins was spirited about what he has seen on the Stoke City training ground this week as he tries keep a good run going in two successive home matches.

Stoke have won six out of their last eight games and gave title contenders Middlesbrough a run for their money last time out at the bet365 Stadium. Now they are four days into a rare free week to prepare for a clash with Bristol City (Saturday, 3pm), with Preston North End to follow a week later.

Robins says he has the same group to pick from as he had for last weekend's 1-0 win at Derby County and will be weighing up selection dilemmas across the pitch. Maksym Taloveirov, George Hirst, Junior Tchamadeu, Robert Bozenik and Luca Bombino were used from the bench at Pride Park and staked claims to come into the starting XI.

Stoke have started with a back three since getting their squad finalised on deadline day but have had variations between games further up the pitch,

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Robins is buoyed to have people fighting for game time – and to have players and supporters looking forward to match days.

He said: "There is still a lot more to do. In every group you look at the ability and how quickly they can go through the gears and how far they can go together. I still think and believe that there is going to be some improvement in them. That is exciting, there's no doubt about that.

"Primarily you've got to keep putting the graft in and, as a minimum, keep doing what we're doing at the moment. They are working really hard for each other and what I saw in training yesterday was outstanding. I thought they did really well yesterday."

He added: “We’ve felt excited in the camp all the way through. The support has been brilliant and obviously they’re desperate to see the team performing in a good way, a way they expect us to perform and to pick points up along the way. That’s not been something that I’ve been able to say for a while.

“The start of last season was good and everybody looks for false dawns I’m sure but you’ve got to enjoy things and 100 per cent things are in a good place – the best place they have been in since I came in.

“You want more of that and I remind players of that if they need reminding – and I don’t think they do because that at the level in their heads when that is their performance. They go out and try to do everything they possibly can to win football matches and make supporters proud and their families proud and have some satisfaction in the game, build confidence and obviously try to pick up as many points as we can.

“That’s genuinely the mindset and you can see it in training. When you see it reflected in training – which hasn’t always been the case – you can demand and drive things. (Previously) people can’t do that or they break but there is a real competitive edge to this group.

“That’s a good thing and it’s good to go into games looking forward to it and we’re looking forward to home games. The away games have been magnificent. I think there’s a difference there as well because fans haven’t seen us there for a long time. To win three on the bounce and to see it was the first time we’ve done that since 2005 is a horrific stat but a really good one for us to tick off at this moment in time. We’ve got to try to keep it up.

“We haven’t won too many away games and to do that and win three on the bounce and in the manner we’ve done it has been really pleasing so we’ve got to keep doing it.”

Predicted Stoke starting XI vs Bristol City: Johansson, Wilmot, Lawal, Graham, Johnson, Bocat, Soumare, Galbraith, Devenny, McGlynn, Cisse.

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