World News – UK – The Lowdown: The Foxes’ FA Cup Opponents, Stoke City

The cup battle against the Sky Bet Championship outfit will be the first game of both teams in this season competition in which the Foxes fresh from a 2-1 triumph over Newcastle United last weekend, while the Potters after want to get back on their feet after a home loss to Bournemouth

Outside town in Staffordshire, LCFCcom gives a detailed breakdown of the latest opponents, including the manager, squad and the latest league results

Jacob Brown has made a good impression since moving from Barnsley last summer and has scored five goals so far this season

It was another significant summer of upheaval at the bet365 stadium when Stoke City wanted to move towards the upper reaches of the second division for the first time since relegation from the Premier League in 2017/18

On the pitch, Tyrese Campbell tops the charts for goals scored in seven out of 18 games in all competitions, while Nick Powell has scored five and veteran striker Steven Fletcher has scored four

Only one player, winger Jacob Brown (25 games), has played more for Stoke this season than Powell and defenseman Tommy Smith, who have played 23 games each. Brown, a summer signing from league rivals Barnsley, has been with the Left-backs Morgan Fox and Fletcher were recruited, both of whom left Sheffield on Wednesday

Stoke also strengthened its defensive ranks with the signings of Southampton goalkeeper Angus Gunn and Aston Villa center-back James Chester, both with free transfers

Meanwhile, Jack Butland left Crystal Palace for a permanent deal, while Peter Etebo and Benik Afobe made loans to the Turkish Süper Lig. Adam Federici, Stephen Ward and Mame Biram Diouf also left at the end of their contracts as Michael O’Neill wanted to build an eligible squad

Some veteran players are still in Stokes’ ranks, including Welsh midfielder Joe Allen, former Chelsea enforcer John Obi Mikel and striker Sam Vokes

Michael O’Neill is in his first full season as a Stoke manager

This is Michael O’Neill’s first English club management job after nine years as a manager in Northern Ireland O’Neill often played as an underdog and led Norn Iron to his first major tournament since 1986 by competing for the 2016 UEFA European Championship France qualified

Reaching the last 16 of the competition on their first appearance was a significant achievement for O’Neill and the country knocked out after a narrow loss to eventual semi-finalists Wales

In November 2019, in the middle of the final qualifying campaign for the European Championship in Northern Ireland, O’Neill agreed to take over Stoke City, originally intended to remain as manager until the European play-offs were completed in March 2020 After their postponement, he left his post in April 2020 to focus solely on his work at Stoke

O’Neill took over the championship lead after a poor result under former manager Nathan Jones. Stoke won their first responsible game, a 4-2 away win over Barnsley, and soon left the relegation zone

The Potters recorded their biggest league win of the season with a 5-1 win over Hull City in March 2020, taking four of their last nine spots They finished 15th Place, eight points ahead of the last three

He previously worked in Scotland, including at Brechin City in the second division from April 2006 to December 2008 and in Ireland, where he won successive championship titles as manager of Shamrock Rovers

He completed a league cup doubles in 2010 and was the first manager of the Irish league to reach the group stage of a European competition He competed in the 2011/12 UEFA Europa League before O’Neill was eliminated after three years in charge, in December 2011

Nick Powell’s goal against Blackburn gave Stoke their only win in their last eight games

In early December, Stoke struggled for form with two 1-0 wins against Wycombe Wanderers and Middlesbrough, winning just one of their last eight games in all competitions

Home defeats to Cardiff City, Tottenham Hotspur (in the Carabao Cup) and AFC Bournemouth were sandwiched between three goalless away games against Derby County, Queens Park Rangers and Coventry City

Their only win during that run came at home for Blackburn Rovers, thanks to Nick Powell’s early goal, while a 1-1 stalemate against Nottingham Forest Stokes ended the 2020 schedule The Potters are currently eighth on the championship table, just two points off the play-offs

Youri Tielemans scored the winner during Leicester’s visit to Stoke in 2019

Leicester last visited bet365 Stadium for a friendly with the Potters ahead of the 2019/20 season and won 2-1 thanks to Youri Tielemans’ late goal after Marc Albrighton gave the visitors the lead

The last two competitive games between the teams during the 2017/18 Premier League season both ended in a draw. A 2-2 stalemate in Staffordshire in November 2017 was followed by a 1-1 draw at King Power Stadium in February 2018

Stoke’s 1972 League Cup winning team included the late Gordon Banks

Stoke’s most significant cutlery came in 1972 when they defeated the League Cup with a 2-1 win over Chelsea at Wembley and the late Gordon Banks scored the goal for the Potters that day

They won the Football League Trophy twice, now called the Checkatrade Trophy, in 1992 and 2000, and they have two titles in the second and two in the third division

Her last trip to Wembley was in 2011 when Manchester City were narrowly beaten 1-0 in the FA Cup Final after beating Bolton Wanderers 5-0 on the same pitch in the semifinals -finals

The bet365 stadium replaced Stokes’ former home of the Victoria Ground

The Potters’ bet365 stadium has a capacity of just over 30000 people after an expansion was completed on the southeast corner in 2017

Stoke has occupied the Stanley Matthews Way site since 1997, hosting a number of international youth friendships

John Obi Mikel battles Lewis Cook for the ball during Stoke’s recent home loss to Bournemouth

A week after the Leicester City hosting, the Potters will meet on Saturday, April 16 January (3pm) on Blackburn Rovers in Ewood Park

Another away game against Rotherham United follows on Wednesday 19 January (1945:00) before Watford on Saturday 23 January (1500:00) against Watford at bet365 Stadium

They face Huddersfield Town (A), Reading (H), Norwich City (A) and Sheffield Wednesday (H) in Stoke’s next four games before clashing on Saturday 20th February, meet with Luton Town and former manager Nathan Jones (kick-off at 3 p.m.)

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