Why Stoke City boss Mark Robins is relishing Sheffield United clash as he makes Chris Wilder admission
Sheffield United will be determined to sign off for the international break on a high when they take on Stoke City on Saturday lunchtime.
Stoke City manager Mark Robins is relishing the opportunity to take on Sheffield United at the bet365 Stadium this weekend, admitting his side has been “miles away” from being able to compete with the Blades during his time at the club.
Since being installed as Narcís Pèlach’s successor at the bet365 Stadium on New Year’s Day last year, Robins has watched his side lose three times to the Blades, conceding eight goals and scoring just one.
The Blades took Stoke to the cleaners at Bramall Lane last season, winning 4-0 before securing a 2-1 victory at the bet365 Stadium a few weeks later. The Blades finished four places and five points ahead of Stoke last term.
Although the Potters started this season with a run of three straight Championship defeats, they have turned their fortunes around in recent weeks, winning ten points from their last four matches. As a result, they head into this weekend’s tussle one point ahead of the Blades.
Following a successful summer transfer window and a series of recent improvements, Robins is looking forward to the contest while hinting that his side could come up against a fired-up United outfit following their shock 1-0 defeat to Fleetwood Town in the third round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening.
“I don’t think there’s any incentive other than wanting to do well for your respective club,” Robins said, as quoted by The Sentinel. “During my time we haven’t just been slightly off them, we’ve been miles away from them.
“That’s something I’m looking forward to seeing where we’re at. You can look and gauge in a moment about where you may be and where you can get to. The biggest thing is our performance and being about us and how we can perform on the day.
“It’s a really well managed team. I really like Chris, I have a load of respect for him. I think he’s done unbelievably well in his three spells at Sheffield United and he’s got some good players who will be probably annoyed at themselves for losing at Fleetwood. They created a load of chances and shouldn’t have lost that game.
“But ultimately it’s about us and trying to pick the three points. Putting a really good performance in is something I’m looking forward to seeing.”