English Championship: Game Week 41
Stadium: Bet365 Stadium
6th April, 2024
Stoke will welcome West Brom at Bet365 Stadium in Game Week 41 of the English Championship. West Brom lost their last two games. Who will come out on top after 90 minutes?
Stoke form
After experiencing a streak of six losses in seven Championship matches leading up to the end of February, Stoke City have improved their chances of avoiding relegation by winning three of their last six games. The team had to settle for a draw against Huddersfield in their most recent match at the bet365 Stadium, coming from behind to secure a result. Despite Huddersfield only winning three away games all season, they were close to causing an upset by taking the lead through Bojan Radulovic in the first half. However, Stoke managed to equalize in the second half thanks to Ki-Jana Hoever's goal.
With seven points from their last four Championship games, manager Steven Schumacher has silenced some of his critics since joining from Plymouth Argyle in December. Stoke is currently in 18th place in the second-tier standings, five points ahead of Huddersfield in 22nd. A major issue for Stoke this season has been their lack of consistent goal-scoring, as they have only scored 38 goals in 40 matches. Only Rotherham United and Sheffield Wednesday have scored fewer goals in the division.
Earlier in the season, Stoke defeated West Brom at home in August, with Andre Vidigal scoring the only goal of the game in the second half to secure their progress in the EFL Cup. This victory came against a weakened West Brom side in the first round of the competition.
Stoke Predicted Lineup
Iversen; Hoever, McNally, Rose, Thompson; Baker, Burger, Leris, Laurent; Bae, Ennis
West Brom form
Since losing to Russell Martin's Southampton on February 16, West Brom has continued their march towards the playoffs by remaining undefeated in eight matches in the division. They achieved a pair of draws against Millwall and Watford over the Easter weekend, showing resilience by coming back to earn a point on both occasions. In a packed stadium, Tom Cleverley's Watford team took a surprising two-goal lead at The Hawthorns on Easter Monday, but West Brom managed to level the game late on with goals from Brandon Thomas-Asante and Darnell Furlong. Despite narrowly missing out on a Manager of the Season nomination, Carlos Corberan is determined to guide his team to a playoff promotion this season. The Baggies have faced financial constraints from previous ownership, but the successful loan signing of Mikey Johnston from Celtic in January has provided a much-needed boost with six goals in 12 Championship appearances. With fifth place in the Championship table and an eight-point lead over Coventry City, West Brom is in a strong position for the final six matches of the regular season.
West Brom Predicted Lineup
Palmer; Furlong, Ayaji, Kipre, Townsend; Yokuslu, Mowatt, Fellows, Swift, Johnston; Thomas-Asante
Stoke vs West Brom Expert Tips
Stoke will be missing midfielder Ben Pearson due to a muscle injury that occurred before the international break, ruling him out for Saturday's match. Lynden Gooch is also absent with a muscle strain, with Jordan Thompson expected to continue at left-back and Michael Rose and Luke McNally forming the centre-back pairing.
Thomas-Asante has returned from injury to lead the West Brom attack, with Daryl Dike and Josh Maja unavailable but the latter nearing a return to action. Jayson Molumby is out for the season with a foot injury, leading to Alex Mowatt partnering Okay Yokuslu in midfield.
Stoke's recent form has been inconsistent, and they face a tough task in containing West Brom's attacking threats. The visitors will be eager to return to winning ways and are predicted to come away with a victory in Staffordshire this weekend.