Team news from FA Cup fourth round tie at the bet365 Stadium
13:00, 15 Feb 2026
Stoke City take on Fulham in the FA Cup fourth round.
View Image
Stoke City take on Fulham in the FA Cup fourth round.(Image: Ryan Browne/Shutterstock)
Mark Robins has gone strong with his Stoke City starting XI in the FA Cup fourth round against Fulham.
Robins has made four changes to the team that lost at Charlton on Wednesday with Maksym Talovierov replacing injured Bosun Lawal at right-back.
Eric Bocat returns at left-back, Bae Junho is back at number 10 and January signing Milan Smit starts up front. You can follow the action as it happens here.
FOLLOW OUR FACEBOOK PAGE! Latest Stoke City news, analysis and more via the Sentinel
Aaron Cresswell, Steven Nzonzi and Jesurun Rak-Sakyi also drop out of the side as availability has been dealt a series of blows due to injury and illness. Ben Pearson is one of those who has been hit by the sickness bug, which also explains why he didn't start in mid-week.
Marco Silva has made 10 changes to his Fulham side
Robins told TNT Sports: "We've got a tough game against opponents in a higher division. We've got an opportunity at home against a Premier League opponent. They've made a few changes, we've made a few but we're both taking it seriously. Listening to Marco's interview it sounds like he wants to go all the way and try to win it. We know we've got to be good in both boxes and between both boxes."
He added: "You can see the players we have missing, it is tough. It's an opportunity for others to come in. Ben Pearson has been ill this week so can't really start this game, like the last. He started with his illness on Wednesday so it's all of those things at this time of year. You have illness and injury and have to make the most of it."
EXPLAINER! Get the latest Stoke City headlines at the top of your Google search
Stoke: Simkin, Talovierov, Bocat, Phillips, Wilmot, Rigo, Seko, Thomas, Cisse, Junho, Smit.
Right XI? Click HERE to join the debate
Content cannot be displayed without consent
We have launched a new WhatsApp group to deliver the latest Stoke news directly to your phone. Click the link select 'Join Chat' and you're in. If for some reason you decide you no longer want to be in our community, you can leave at any time by clicking on the name at the top of your screen and clicking 'Exit Group', simple as that.
Every day, the StokeonTrentLive football desk strive to deliver news, features and transfer-related stories as a part of our overall package of Stoke City content.
Our dedicated reporter Pete Smith - who you can follow on X - follows Stoke home and away and offers you comprehensive coverage from matchdays, press conferences and everything that happens in between.
Article continues below
With so much going on, we send out a daily free Stoke City newsletter which you can sign up for - and means you'll have a round-up of the key stories land in your email inbox.
If you prefer reading our Stoke stories on your phone, consider downloading the Stoke-on-TrentLive app, in which you can personalise the content you see by selecting Stoke City as one of your designated topics. You can get it from Apple