Stoke City vs Millwall Prediction: Both teams are fighting for survival

Stoke City will welcome Millwall at Bet365 Stadium in Game Week 23 of the English Championship. It is a possible six pointer with a defeat will possibly drop this team to relegation zone. Who will come out on top after 90 minutes?

Stoke City form

Stoke officials made the decision to appoint Steven Schumacher as their new manager earlier this week, choosing him from a number of viable British options available. Schumacher, who graduated from the nearby Staffordshire University with a degree in professional sports journalism and broadcasting, is familiar with the area and the city. Given his success in winning League One and keeping Plymouth Argyle out of the relegation zone in the second tier, taking on the role at Stoke is considered a natural step-up for him. The primary task for Schumacher at Stoke is to improve their performance, as they have gone eight matches without a win. However, they have managed to secure draws against Swansea City and West Bromwich Albion in consecutive games. A win against Millwall over the weekend would be the perfect start to their campaign, but a defeat would put pressure on the new manager.

The Stoke starting lineup is relatively unknown because of Schumacher's recent arrival in Stoke-on-Trent. However, based on their impressive performance against West Brom, it is possible that the same starting lineup will be chosen, with Andre Vidigal likely to be included in the attacking third. Unfortunately, Ben Pearson will not be available for selection as he serves the second game of his two-match suspension due to accumulating 10 yellow cards this season. 

Stoke City Predicted Lineup

Bonham; Hoever, McNally, Rose, Thompson; Laurent, Burger; Gooch, Jun-Ho, Johnson; Mmaee

Millwall form

Millwall, who are just one point below Stoke in the standings, also need a win to relieve the pressure on their own recently appointed manager, Joe Edwards. Edwards has only earned five points from seven games and his team is currently on a six-match winless streak after surrendering a lead against rivals Huddersfield Town. Despite this setback, Millwall have managed to avoid defeat in their last two games at The Den. However, they have suffered three consecutive defeats in their recent away matches, even though they still have the 11th-best away record in the division.

Millwall had a good chance of winning against the Terriers until George Saville was penalized for a handball inside the penalty area. If any changes are made to the starting lineup, either Joe Bryan or Duncan Watmore could be brought in at left-back or in the attacking third. 

Millwall Predicted Lineup

Sarkic; Leonard, Harding, Cooper; Norton-Cuffy, Saville, Mitchell, Wallace; Flemming; Bradshaw, Nisbet

Stoke City vs Millwall Expert Tips

With Schumacher now in charge, Stoke City needs to start strong under his leadership. While we anticipate a tough challenge from Millwall, the Potters might just come out on top due to their determination, securing a crucial three points. Expect under 2.5 goals in the game.