Stoke City vs Plymouth Argyle

The Game
Stoke City v Argyle. bet365 Stadium. Saturday, 20 April. 3pm. Sky Bet Championship.

The Gaffer
Steven Schumacher will need little introduction to the Green Army, as the former manager of Argyle from December 2021 to December 2023. In his 94 league games in charge of the Greens, he boasted an impressive 54.3% win ratio. In his playing career, Schumacher started at Everton, also representing Bradford City, Crewe Alexandra, Bury, Fleetwood Town, Stevenage and Southport, for whom he had a stint as caretaker manager.

The Opposition
Stoke City’s season has been turbulent, seeing various ups and down. After 14 games, the Potters were 11^th, having drawn just one game. No wins in the next eight led to the dismissal of Alex Neil, with Steven Schumacher taking over. After an initially good start, Stoke fell back into a pattern of not drawing, and losing more than they won. In their last five games, they have won one, lost one and drawn three, their most recent outing a 1-1 draw away to Sheffield Wednesday.

The Squad
Stoke's leading goalscorer this season is André Vidigal (below), who has six league goals and one in cup action. Typically playing up front or wide on the left, Vidigal signed from Maritimo in his native Portugal, having begun his career at Academica, also in Portugal, before a spell with Fortuna Sittard in the Netherlands. 

No-one has started more league games for the Potters this season than central defender Michael Rose. This has been his first season at Stoke, following three-and-a-half years at Coventry. Before that, he began his career with hometown club Aberdeen, but had his breakthrough at Ayr United.

Rose is likely to play alongside Luke McNally in the Stoke back four. McNally is on loan from Burnley, for whom he joined in 2022. He spent the back end of the 2022/23 season on loan at Coventry City. Born in Ireland, he began his career with St Patrick’s Athletic, then moved to Oxford United before heading to Turf Moor.

Earlier This Season
In one of the most dramatic moments of the season, Argyle won the home clash with Stoke, 2-1, with an Adam Randell goal deep into injury time. It was Randell’s first Home Park goal, and it sent the Green Army into raptures. Stoke had taken the lead in the first half via Tyrese Campbell, with Argyle levelling before the interval through Mustapha Bundu.  

A Strip for the Trip
Argyle will be wearing their green home kit for this game. 

Tickets
There is a ticket update on returns and collections, here. 

Argyle TV
Argyle TV’s pre-match show, with Alex Wood and Brian McGlinchey, will begin at 2pm, and is available to watch for free on YouTube. Commentary will be provided from the bet365 Stadium by Charlie Price and Ryan Brunt. International supporters can buy a match pass to watch the game,  here.

Stoke City 3
Hoever 43
Manhoef 45+3
Burger 90+3

Argyle 0

Argyle’s reunion with Steven Schumacher ended in favour of the former Pilgrims manager, as Stoke City ran out 3-0 winners.

Two goals on the stroke of half-time, from Ki-Jana Hoever and Million Manhoef, turned the game massively in favour of the hosts, and the Greens weren’t able to recover.

Gloss was added to the Stoke win with a late third from Wouter Burger.

Argyle made just one change from the memorable 1-0 victory over Leicester City eight days ago, with captain Joe Edwards replacing the injured Mickel Miller. The Potters drew 1-1 at Sheffield Wednesday in their last outing, a result that saw them slip to a point behind the Greens before kick-off.

Mustapha Bundu, the match-winner against Leicester, was first to threaten in the Potteries, dancing past a couple of home defenders before a floated cross that was eventually cleared. Former Pilgrim Luke Cundle took up the baton for Stoke, slipping a pass to Tyrese Campbell, who was unable to trouble Mike Cooper from a tight angle.

Cundle followed up with a shot over the bar before Dan Scarr was forced to make a brave block. The game stopped on nine minutes, as an injury to Adam Forshaw forced him out of the action, Jordan Houghton his replacement.

It was then over to his midfield comrade, Adam Randell, who pinched the ball and fed Morgan Whittaker for a decent strike saved by Daniel Iversen. Argyle maintained the pressure with successive corners and a curling free-kick from Whittaker that whistled inches wide.

Stoke responded with their best effort so far, Hoever thundering the ball against the bar from a tight angle. Cooper then had to intercept a dangerous low cross from Campbell, as the Potters enjoyed a bright spell.

In a demonstration of the tension inside the Bet365 Stadium, an unseemly melee ten minutes before the break resulted in four bookings, two for each side, but Stoke regathered their composure to open the scoring, Josh Laurent providing the pass for Hoever to steer a low finish beyond Cooper.

The Pilgrims suffered an immediate second setback, as Manhoef found room on the edge of the penalty area to rifle an emphatic strike into the net, leaving Argyle with a growing mountain to climb after the break.

Lewis Gibson and Alfie Devine replaced Edwards and Julio Pleguezuelo at half-time but Stoke were the side looking to continue the pattern from the final few minutes of the first period, Campbell breaking into the box and forcing a superb last-gasp challenge from Brendan Galloway.

Campbell then headed wide and Manhoef fired over, as Argyle struggled to find their own attacking impetus. Randell tried to change the pattern with a deflected strike wide of the Stoke post but there was still not enough stress for Iversen.

Stoke introduced another former Pilgrim, Niall Ennis, who prodded the ball wide with a cheeky effort before Argyle freshened up the ranks with Callum Wright replacing Bundu.

A fizzing cross from Whittaker required solid handling by Iversen but, in truth, Argyle were unable to pose a prolonged threat. Ben Waine replaced Ryan Hardie for the final ten minutes but Stoke sealed their win through substitute Burger in the dying seconds.

Stoke City: 1 Daniel Iversen; 3 Enda Stevens, 10 Tyrese Campbell (14 Niall Ennis 64), 15 Jordan Thompson, 16 Ben Wilmot, 17 Ki-Jana Hoever, 22 Bae Junho, 23 Luke McNally, 25 Luke Cundle (6 Wouter Burger 73), 28 Josh Laurent (capt), 42 Million Manhoef (27 Mehdi Léris 81). Substitutes (not used): 13 Jack Bonham (gk), 5 Michael Rose, 7 André Vidigal, 8 Lewis Baker, 20 Sead Hakšabanović, 35 Nathan Lowe.

Booked: Wilmot 26, Campbell 36, Hoever 36

Argyle: 1 Michael Cooper; 2 Bali Mumba, 5 Julio Pleguezuelo (17 Lewis Gibson H-T), 6 Dan Scarr, 8 Joe Edwards (capt) (16 Alfie Devine H-T), 9 Ryan Hardie (23 Ben Waine 81), 10 Morgan Whittaker, 15 Mustapha Bundu (11 Callum Wright 71), 20 Adam Randell, 22 Brendan Galloway, 27 Adam Forshaw (4 Jordan Houghton 9). Substitutes (not used): 21 Conor Hazard (gk), 3 Lino Sousa, 26 Ashley Phillips, 35 Freddie Issaka.

Booked: Cooper 36, Mumba 36, Scarr 61, Devine 69

Referee: Robert Madley

Attendance: 24,674 (2,587 Argyle)

STO Stoke

PLY Argyle