Stoke City are facing a crucial next few weeks as they aim to get their side ready for the start of the new 2021/22 Championship season.

Michael O’Neill’s side have managed to get rid of a few players from their wage bill already in the transfer window, while Nathan Collins has been sold on for a large transfer fee to Premier League Burnley. Stoke acted swiftly to bring in a replacement for him in the shape of defender Ben Wilmot who has arrived from Watford.

There will still be more business to come for the Potters and certain key areas of the squad will have to be addressed before they are ready to have a go at pushing for the top-six placed in the Championship.

The Potters now know their fixtures for next season and they are aware that they face a difficult-looking opening day fixture at home against Reading.

With that game in mind, we take a look at how Stoke’s starting line-up could look for that opening day clash against the Royals…

The goalkeeping department is going to throw up a key decision for O’Neill on the opening day of next season with both Adam Davies and Joe Bursik set to battle it out to win that number one spot in the side.

Bursik excelled when he was thrust into the side last season amid injuries to both Angus Gunn and Davies, and he also delivered a number of impressive displays on loan spells with Doncaster Rovers, Peterborough United and also Lincoln City.

However, with Davies back to full fitness and Gunn having departed, O’Neill might decide to go for his more senior option from the start next season. The keeper is going to be aware that he has a very talented player pushing for his place so he could not afford to get off to a poor start.

The Potters are also being linked with a potential move for former Gillingham goalkeeper Jack Bonham to replace Gunn, but he would not be expected to push for a starting role straight away next season.

At right-back for Stoke, O’Neill is more than likely to opt to go with Tommy Smith for the opening day clash against Reading unless the Potters manage to bring in another quality option in that position in the transfer window before then.

Smith is going to be facing a crucial season next year and he will get the chance to fully establish himself as the Potters’ first-choice right-back.

Collins did play down the right-hand side a lot for Stoke, but he has now left the club and joined Burnley and that means that chances should open up again for Smith

The 29-year-old is a quality player when he is at his best and he has prior promotion-winning experience at this level with Huddersfield Town. He showed glimpses of his ability last term registering two goals and three assists in his 35 league appearances.

The full-back needs to show more consistency next term and he will need to produce more end product when he gets forwards. Stoke need him to start delivering and with just one more year left on his deal, he needs to perform to earn an extension.

Following Collins’ departure, Stoke are going to need to do all they can to keep hold of Harry Souttar and convince him to remain with the club amid the interest of Premier League clubs.

Souttar should be one of the first names on the team-sheet at Stoke if he is to remain with the Potters next season and if he is still at the Bet365 Stadium then he will surely be starting on the opening day of the campaign against Reading.

The 22-year-old will only get the chance to further enhance his reputation next term and he will be hoping he can mirror the form that he showed last term for the Potters. He managed to help them record 15 clean sheets in his 38 league games and if he can help to match that again then Stoke should be more than ok next term.

The defender is someone that you would expect O’Neill to base his side around and if he does enjoy a good first half of the campaign then they might have to worry about interest in January.

Coming into the side for the opening day of next season will surely be Stoke’s latest signing in defender Ben Wilmot. He has the tough and daunting task of replacing the influential presence of Collins in their starting line-up.

Wilmot though will not be daunted by that task and he has already shown that he is a more than capable defender at Championship level.

The 21-year-old was excellent for Watford at times last term when he played and he played an important role in helping them gain promotion to the Premier League.

The 21-year-old should be able to go from strength to strength next season if he is handed regular starting football in the Championship.

Wilmot is someone that O’Neill should be able to get the best out of in his defensive-minded system and he should be able to improve his consistency and increase in value in the next few years.

The left-back slot in the side is one that could be difficult to sort out ahead of next season with Rhys Norrington-Davies having returned to Sheffield United from his loan spell in the second half of the campaign.

Josh Tymon could well get the chance to step into the side for the opening day clash against Reading and try to establish himself in the starting line-up on a consistent basis next term.

The 22-year-old is facing a hugely important season and it is his chance to show that he can be a regular starter after he managed to make 26 appearances for the Potters in the league last term.

Stoke might need to bring in a new left-back to try and strengthen their options in that position, while Morgan Fox is also an option. Tymon will therefore need to work hard to maintain his position of he is to start in the left-back spot against Reading on the opening day.

Starting at the heart of Stoke’s midfield for the opening day clash against Reading you would expect would be the experienced John Obi Mikel who has been handed a contract extension by the Potters during the close season.

Mikel enjoyed a good season last year in his first campaign with the Potters and he showed that he has the quality left in him to be an important player at Championship level.

In total, the 34-year-old managed to make 39 league appearances for the Potters last season in the Championship, and he managed to help provide some real protection in front of the back four and also distributed the ball effectively from his sitting midfield role.

O’Neill will be aware that Mikel’s experience is going to be vital for the Potters next season and if they are going to enjoy a successful season then they will need him to stay fit and on his best form starting with the opening day clash with Reading.

At the moment, there is a lot of uncertainty around the future of midfielders Joe Allen and Sam Clucas.

As a result, Jordan Thompson could get the chance to come into the side from the start on the opening day against Reading.

Thompson made 34 appearances in the Championship last season and 24 of those came from the start. The 24-year-old managed to show glimpses of his potential during those appearances last term and there is certainly a quality player in there if O’Neill can manage to get the best out of him consistently.

The midfielder could manage to get himself the chance to establish himself as one of their first choices in the midfield area next season. The Potters might add to their midfield options if the likes of Clucas leave the club, but at the moment it is looking like Thompson could get his chance.

As mentioned in the selection of Thompson, Allen’s future is in some doubt this summer and it has been reported that the Potters could allow him to leave the club to help reduce their wage bill.

However, with the Potters having already lost Jordan Cousins and with Clucas looking likely to be moving on, Stoke can probably not afford to let Allen go before replacements arrive.

The experienced Wales international is someone that could be very useful for the Potters if he does stick around next season. Allen is someone that has quality on the ball still and he is always someone that works hard out of possession for Stoke.

The 31-year-old endured a disrupted campaign last season and the midfielder will be eager to show what he can do and remind people of the important role he can play in the side when he is at his best.

Such was the impressive form of Nick Powell last season that it might be a surprise that he has not perhaps had as much transfer speculation around his future as you might have expected this summer to date.

That though is very much for the benefit of the Potters and you would expect him to be one of their first names on their team sheet next term if he does stick around this summer.

Powell is crucial for this Stoke side and he adds plenty of goals and creativity from the attacking midfield position. Last season, the 27-year-old fired in 12 goals and provided three assists and if he can match or even better that tally next term then the Potters will have a chance of doing well.

The opening day clash will be a chance for him to establish himself as a key player and fire home some goals to provide him with the confidence to have a quality campaign.

With Tyrese Campbell having been out injured for a large part of last season it might be too soon for him to return to action from the start of their opening game of the campaign.

As a result, Steven Fletcher should be handed the chance to lead the line against Reading and next term is going to be a big one for him as he will look to improve his goal output from last term.

In total, Fletcher managed to score nine goals and provide four assists in his 37 appearances for the Potters last term and that shows that he can be a reliable scorer if he gets the right levels of service.

The 34-year-old has plenty of experience to bring to the table and he is someone that will be aware he needs to work hard to maintain a place in the starting line-up.

Stoke might go into the market and bring in some extra firepower upfront this summer, but until then, Fletcher is going to be a very important option for them.

Again, in the potential absence of Campbell and also with no new signings having been made to enhance their forward options at this stage, Jacob Brown could come into the starting line-up for the opening day clash against Reading.

Brown managed to score five goals for the Potters in his 41 Championship appearances last term, but he only managed to make 27 starts for them in the English second tier.

The 23-year-old needs to have a good campaign if he is going to deliver on the potential that he has shown fleeting glimpses of over the last few years.

Brown has the chance to stake a claim for a regular starting role in the side next season and if he could get off to a strong start against Reading it would give him the confidence to kick on for next term.