The new boy Rotherham United could face and the thoughts of Leam Richardson as they bid to avenge Stoke City double defeat

Stoke City arrive at AESSEAL New York Stadium for tomorrow's clash Championship clash having just signed young midfielder Luke Cundle on loan from Premier League Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The Warrington-born 21-year is familiar to Rotherham as he was in the Plymouth Argyle side that defeated them 3-2 at Home Park last month.

Earlier this week, he switched to Stoke for the rest of the season, following in the footsteps of former Pilgrims boss Steven Schumacher who left the south-west club to take the hot-seat in the Potteries just before Christmas.

“Stoke are a massive club,” said the player who bagged five goals and six assists while with Plymouth. “It’s a new chapter for me and I’m delighted to be here.

“I know the boss and his staff well because I've worked with them previously. I really like the ideas he puts across and how he gets his teams to play.

“He plays attacking, high-energy football where everybody runs forward and passes forward and that suits my game. I’m looking forward to getting going and letting my football do the talking.”

Nineteenth-placed City have handed out two heavy beatings to the Millers this term, winning 4-1 in the league at the bet365 Stadium on August 5 opening day and following that up with a 6-1 home success in the second round of the League Cup just over three weeks later.

Rotherham are in bottom spot but go into the contest unbeaten in their last three league outings and looking to add to their momentum by extending that run.

“You want to build on every performance," new head coach Leam Richardson told the Advertiser. “We want our output and level of performance to keep rising.

“It takes time to build working relationships, to build that trust, to move forward. We're under no illusions. We're playing Stoke and, irrespective or their position in the league, they've got very, very good players.

“It's a challenge we'll relish, a challenge we've prepared well for. If we give a performance like we have been doing we've got a really good chance of having a positive result.”

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One to watch

Andre Vidigal is Stoke's top scorer this season, with six goals in 20 appearances. Having signed in the summer from Portuguese side Maritimo, the winger hit the target five times in his first six outings. The 25-year-old, the Portugal under-21 international made his name with Dutch side Fortuna Sittard. He scored twice on his Stoke debut, back in August, against Rotherham.

Form guide

​Millers: LLWDDL

Stoke: DDWDDL

After a 0-0 league draw against visiting Ipswich Town, Stoke were beaten 4-2 at home in the FA Cup by Brighton last Saturday.

Recent meetings

​Aug 29, 2023, League Cup: Stoke 6 Millers 1

Sean Morrison

Aug 5, 2023, Championship: Stoke 4 Millers 1

Lee Peltier

Dec 26, 2022, Championship: Millers 2 Stoke 2

Jordan Thompson og, Conor Washington

Oct 18, 2022, Championship: Stoke 0 Millers 1

Ollie Rathbone

​Opposition manager

Stoke have a new boss in Steven Schumacher who left Plymouth Argyle to move to the bet365 Stadium just before Christmas. The former Bradford City midfielder, who had been number two to Ryan Lowe at Home Park, was a huge success with Argyle, leading them to the League One title and then keeping them away from the Championship drop zone. Stoke turned to the 39-year-old when they sacked Alex Neil.

Man in the middle

Keith Stroud was the referee at New York Stadium last May when Rotherham sealed their Championship survival with a 1-0 win over Middlesbrough. He was also in charge when they triumphed 1-0 at Sheffield United in November 2022 - their last away victory. The 54-year-old from Hampshire has officiated in the Premier League but has been at second-tier level since 2016 and today's match will be his 600th game. His 16 fixtures this season have seen him issue 85 cautions and one red card.

The odds

It’s 14/5 on a home win and 17/20 on the Potters triumphing for a third time over the Millers this term. In 46 matches between the clubs since 1926, Rotherham have 14 wins and Stoke 19.