Championship | Gameweek 17

Nov 26, 2024 at 7.45pm UK

Britannia Stadium

Stokevs.Preston

Match preview

Since Stoke City were relegated from the Premier League in 2017-18, they've had a tough time in the Championship. They finished 16th in 2018-19, 15th in 2019-20, 14th in 2020-21 and 2021-22, 16th in 2022-23 and 17th in 2023-24.

Last season, the Potters just managed to avoid the relegation zone, finishing six points ahead of Birmingham City in 22nd place. This campaign, they were hoping to put some distance between themselves and the drop zone.

They've had a bit of a mixed start to the season in terms of achieving those goals. They've won five, drawn five and lost six, which puts them in 12th place with 20 points. That's five ahead of the drop zone but also just six behind the playoff places.

Stoke City go into this match on a run of form that is joint-longest unbeaten run of the season. They've already beaten Derby County 2-1 and Blackburn Rovers 2-0, and drew 1-1 with both Millwall and Queens Park Rangers in their most recent outings.

Narcis Pelach, who was brought in as manager in September 2024 after Steven Schumacher was fired after just five league matches, will be looking to extend Stoke's unbeaten run with a win on Tuesday against a Preston side they've failed to beat in their last seven meetings at the Bet365 Stadium.

Preston are just a point ahead of the relegation zone in 20th place with 16 points, having won three, drawn seven and lost six.

That's a pretty disappointing start to the season for Preston. They spent a lot of last season in playoff contention, but then they collapsed in their final five matches. They lost them all by an aggregate score of 11-0, so they ended up finishing 10th with 63 points, 10 points adrift of the top six.

Preston's form has worsened recently. After only managing three wins in their first 10 league games, they've now gone six matches without a win in the Championship. They've lost twice and drawn four times.

Paul Heckingbottom will be keen to convert Preston's recent draws into wins as they aim to create some distance from the bottom three, starting with Tuesday's clash against Stoke City.

Recent Performance

Stoke City Championship form:DLWWDD

Stoke City form (all competitions):LLWWDD

Preston North End Championship form:DDLDLD

Preston North End form (all competitions):DLLDLD

Team News

The hosts will be without Ben Pearson, who used to play for Preston, because of a hamstring injury. Bosun Lawal, Lynden Gooch and Sam Gallagher are all also out until December because of injuries.

Thomas Cannon is Stoke's top scorer going into this match, with seven goals in 12 appearances. The Potters will be looking to the striker to lead them to victory here.

The visitors will be without Ched Evans, Liam Lindsay, Patrick Bauer and Robert Brady, who are all still struggling with injuries and won't be back on the pitch until at least December.

Alistair McCann is also out of this match because he's had too many yellow cards. He's had five bookings in 13 Championship matches this season.

Similarly, it's likely that a similar side to the one that drew 1-1 with QPR could feature in this one. Despite dominating the match, the team failed to secure all three points.

Possible starting lineup

Stoke City possible starting lineup:

Johansson; Wilmot, Phillips, Gibson, Bocat; Seko, Sidibe; Manhoef, Bae, Koumas; Cannon

Preston North End possible starting lineup:

Woodman; Storey, Whatmough, Hughes; Potts, Holmes, Whiteman, Ledson, Kesler-Hayden; Greenwood, Jacobsen