The Tigers head to the Potteries aiming to bounce back from successive defeats
Mark Robins has praised the job being done at Hull City by Sergej Jakirovic, saying the Croatian head coach has transformed the Tigers into a team with top-six aspirations.
While City may have lost their last two games and three of their last four, Jakirovic had guided the Tigers into the top six after an impressive start to the new campaign.
It’s a far cry from the struggles of last season under Tim Walter and Ruben Selles, as City survived relegation on goal difference on the final day of a dismal season.
City’s revival has not been dissimilar to what Robins has done at Saturday’s opponents, Stoke City, with the Potters moving second in the Championship after returning to winning ways in midweek with a home victory over Charlton Athletic.
Like the Tigers, Stoke’s second-tier status was only confirmed on the last day of the season with a draw at fellow strugglers Derby County, but Robins has reinvigorated the Potters, though he’s wary of the threat posed by Jakirovic’s men.
“We’ll have to be extra good anyway because they create chances and score goals,” Robins told Stoke on Trent Live. “They are one of the high goal scorers in the division and create chances clearly for each other. I know some of their players, I’ve had some of their players before, and they’re really talented.
“The manager has come in, and he’s transformed them, and they are now operating in an area of the division where they see themselves, which is not dissimilar to many teams in the division. All have aspirations to be in the top six, top two, and that’s the challenge in the division.
“You just have to keep focused on what is happening next and not look beyond today. It’s an important game for us, and if we can manage to get the three points, it becomes a really good three-game block again.”
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