Stoke are close to agreeing a friendly with League Two Champions Notts County that will see the Potters open their pre-season campaign at Meadow Lane.
County will, like the Potters, go on a week long tour of Austria before returning to England and playing numerous friendlies to get match fit for the season.
The game, scheduled for Thursday 22nd July, will see the two oldest league clubs in the country go head to head. The Potters were scheduled to take on Nantwich Town, at the Weaver Stadium, on the same day but that game will now either be moved or become a split squad fixture with a mostly reserve/youth line up sent to Cheshire.