Stoke v Villa - all in one match thread

[Trotters]

Will Carlos Sanchez be signed and cleared in time to play?
Will we see a dramatic change in style from Lambert that will crush Stoke into dust?
Will it be same old, same old?

With a nightmare run of games coming up, the first three are critical for points and confidence.

Have your say....poll is open.

[Guest]

Villa win , no bother at all. We will play silky passing football and play them off the park. 3-0 Villa.
  

[Guest]

0-0 draw and a useful point.

[FoxyAV]

I want to see Grealish's lanky legs netting at least one. If we see Delph/Westwood/KEA lost in the massive gap between the defence and Gabby/Bent/Andi and 25% possession I won't be surprised though!

[My Old Man]

Will be at this game so a win is on the cards!

Will be tight but quite open and I see us nicking it 2-1.

[Villa_Dan]

Will be at this game so a win is on the cards!

Will be tight but quite open and I see us nicking it 2-1.

Me too. I've gone for a draw here but 2-1 on the prediction game. I'm confused lol

[Guest]

In prediction league I've gone 2-1 stoke - no sentiment when there's a holiday to be won

[switters]

I'm expecting a loss here, tbh. hopefully I'll be pleasantly surprised!

[heystally!]

Stoke played much nicer football under Hughes last season. Think they'll be better this season. Bojan's a good buy IMO, even if he hasn't fulfilled the potential he had at one time.

We looked poor against Parma. I have no idea how we'll score goals, need Gabby and Weimann to not play and start Bent. Not gonna happen though.

2-0 Stoke.

[Thinman]

Sorry but no chance of a result in my opinion. They are just too organised and Lambert will be outsmarted again. A familiar story I fear.

[Staffslion]

First game of the season is the most local game for me and the boy.


Heart says 2-1 to us.

Head says 2-0 to Stoke - and the start of a very long season I fear - but I thought that on the way to the Emirates this time last year !

Either way, will be back in my local for 6pm with all my stoke mates .......lets hope I don't get too much stick.

UTV

[Trotters]

Welcome to TBAR!

I hope your heart is right but I fear otherwise.

[Trotters]

Also a reminder that the chatbox will be open prior to kick off.

[Jim]

Sanchez would need a work permit and be registered by midday friday to be able to play against stoke, and even if that happens, no training with his new team and little match practice I doubt he will be involved Saturday. So id go with

Guzan
Hutton vlaar okore cissokho
---Westwood kea delph
Gabby ---bent -----n'zogbia

Be shocked if Joe cole plays after just 70 minutes in pre season.

3-1 defeat.

[Morpheus]

A Stoke win with Bojan Krkic tearing us a new one.

[My Old Man]

A Stoke win with Bojan Krkic tearing us a new one.

I know its only the first game but i fear a defeat in this will have far reaching consequences for the rest of the season. For me, its a game we can not afford to lose. Sad times.

[Guest]

Hull and newcastle are huge too - anything less than 4 points from opening 3 games and we are in trouble - hoping for 7

[Morpheus]

Interesting to see whether Keano will have any affect on our play.

[Jim]

I think the hull match will be massive and the real indicator of progress, with hull playing on the thursday in the europa league, they will have just 2 days before playing us.

[Guest]

Interesting to see whether Keano will have any affect on our play.

Seen nothing so far to suggest it

[Guest]

Darren Bent believes that Villa's testing pre-season programme - which included enduring the conditions that prevailed on the successful Texas tour in July - has left him and his team-mates raring to go ahead of Saturday's big Barclays Premier League kick-off at Stoke.

The 30-year-old England international is as enthused as anyone as he eyes vital goals for Villa in the coming season.

Striker Bent has scored 25 goals in 64 appearances in the claret and blue shirt since his arrival in January 2011 and 106 goals in 269 Premier League games in total having made his debut for Ipswich in November 2001.

He is determined to make a big impact again in 2014-15.

In an impressive pre-season, Bent bagged two goals at Mansfield and made his mark in the other games - as Paul Lambert's men geared up for the new season.

Now he feels fit and ready for the rigours of the coming campaign.

He said: "I am feeling great and looking forward to the game against Stoke, as we all are. I'm ready to impress and raring to go.

"I can't wait to get going and look to score some important goals. I feel really positive. It's a fresh season and a fresh start for everybody.

"It's a really exciting feeling, it really is.

"It's been a really good pre-season programme for me and the other lads, really varied and it's flown by. It feels like we were in the USA yesterday.

"Now we are just a couple of days away from the start of a new campaign.

"I've been really happy with pre-season. I've got game time under my belt, scored some goals and I feel confident about what's ahead for me and the team.

"I am hungry for goals. That goes without saying. I've been the same all my career - ever since I was a kid. I live for goals.

"I want to find the net for the club which will obviously help us win games and push us up the table.

"Hopefully I can be called upon, get out there and score lots of goals. Goals win matches, as they say.

"I feel positive about what we have got here. The squad looks strong. We have a good blend in there.

"Obviously, the likes of Libor and Christian are still out, so we will be even stronger when they come back into the group.

"But it's a good mix overall - we have some top experience like Joe Cole and youthful talent like Jack Grealish. It's an impressive balance - it's about us putting it together and making it work."

[GadgetMan]

Encouraging words from bent. Hope he starts and manages to kick start his career again, as it would be a massive lift for us.

[My Old Man]

Encouraging words from bent. Hope he starts and manages to kick start his career again, as it would be a massive lift for us.

If he does then it has to be 4-4-2 otherwise he will struggle. Unfortunately i can not see Lambert suddenly discovering that you have a system to get the best out of the players you have and not the other way around.

[Wigteke]

2-2 draw are my thoughts. Like to see a team of;

Guzan
Hutton / Okore / Vlaar/ Ally
Delph/Westy
Nzogbia Gardner Richardson
Bent

Although having thought about it, maybe 2 up top would be better?

[Guest]

Not if one of then is gabby or weimann

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