Stoke City vs Leicester City Prediction: Leicester looking to dominate at top of table

Stoke City will welcome Leicester City at Bet365 Stadium in Game Week 30 of the English Championship. Leicester looking to dominate and secure their position at the top of the table. Who will come out on top after 90 minutes?

Steven Schumacher is realizing the difficult task of helping Stoke move away from the bottom three. He has only managed to secure two wins in his first eight games, with three defeats in Stoke's last four matches. Birmingham City defeated them 2-1 at the bet365 Stadium on January 20, and they were comprehensively beaten by an inconsistent Sunderland side in their previous game. With a 12-point gap from the top six, it seems unlikely that Stoke will make a late push for the playoffs. Schumacher's priority should be to ensure that their seven-point advantage above the relegation zone is not reduced. Schumacher is anticipated to make several changes to the Stoke City lineup following their defeat at the Stadium of Light. Andre Vidigal and Ryan Mmaee are both in contention for spots in the attacking third. Lewis Baker may also be featured in the central midfield position, while Ki-Jana Hoever could make a return at right-back. Additionally, Junior Tchamadeu is back in contention for the right-back position after Cameroon's elimination from the Africa Cup of Nations. 

The possible starting lineup for Stoke City consists of Iversen; Gooch, Wilmot, Rose, Thompson; Cundle, Burger, Baker; Vidigal, Mmaee, Haksabanovic. 

Recently there have been instances where Leicester did not appear to be a team that could easily secure promotion, as they conceded late goals and earned only one point from matches against Coventry City and Ipswich Town. However, Enzo Maresca's team has bounced back with a 3-0 victory over Birmingham City in the FA Cup fourth round and a 3-1 win against Swansea City in the league. Maresca may have been disappointed not to keep back-to-back clean sheets for the first time since October, but the most important thing is that they secured three points. This victory allowed them to extend their lead at the top of the table to 10 points with 17 matches remaining. The next challenge for Leicester is to face Stoke and Watford away, but they have a strong performance record on their travels, winning 10 out of 14 matches since returning to the second tier. 

Leicester City will have Abdul Fatawu available again after serving a three-match ban, but he may only be selected as a substitute. Yunus Akgun is expected to be included in the attacking third following his consecutive goal-scoring performances. Dennis Praet will likely retain his position in a creative role, unless a transfer occurs before the match. 

The possible starting lineup for Leicester City consists of Hermansen; Pereira, Faes, Vestergaard, Doyle; Winks, Dewsbury-Hall; Akgun, Praet, Mavididi; Daka.

Although Stoke has struggled at home this season, they tend to be competitive against stronger opponents. However, we expect Leicester to secure the victory, particularly after establishing control in the first half of the game.