Preston North End is set for a trip to bet365 Stadium (Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire) for a clash with Stoke City in the EFL Championship. Kickoffs on 3rd January 2021 at 18:00 EAT.
Coming into this game, Stoke is in the eighth spot in the table with 35 points having picked up four points from the last five games, both home and away. Both teams scored in just one of those games and Stoke has scored three times in the last five fixtures.
The Potters were edged to 1-2 defeat in their previous game by the lowly ranked Derby County in their most recent Championship fixture. In that game, Stoke City got 56% possession, seven shot one of them on target and a goal by Tom Ince (78′). Derby County had 10 shots with four of them on target and goals by Luke Plange (16′) and Colin Kazim-Richards (85′).
Frankie McAvoy has done well to steady the Preston ship after a disastrous start to the campaign which saw them lose their first three league games. Two wins and four draws have followed to push North End up towards mid-table; currently they are 15th in the standings with three games in hand on some of the clubs above them.
The Lilywhites will be looking for positive results here, coming off 2-1 Championship win against Barnsley in their last outing. In that fixture, Preston North End had 60% possession, 16 shots with four of them on target an goals scored by Alan Browne (57′) and Daniel Johnson (78′). Barnsley got 13 with four of them on target and a goal by Cauley Woodrow (65′).
Stoke City vs Preston North End head to head
In the head to head record between these two teams since 2002 Stock City are the underdogs having won in only four games while there have been four draws and Preston has 8 wins.
- Preston 1-1 Stoke 28/09/21
- Stoke 0-0 Preston 17/04/21
- Preston 0-1 Stoke 26/09/20
- Stoke 0-2 Preston 12/02/20
- Preston 3-1 Stoke 21/08/19
Home
- Stoke 1-2 Derby County
- Stoke 0-0 Middlesbrough
- QPR 0-2 Stoke
- Stoke 0-1 Blackburn
- Bristol City 1-0 Stoke
Away
- Preston 2-1 Barnsley
- Blackburn 1-0 Preston
- Preston 1-1 Fulham
- Middlesbrough 1-2 Preston
- Preston 1-2 Cardiff
Stoke City team news
For the hosts, Romaine Sawyers, Harry Souttar, Josef Bursik, Nick Powell and Jordan Thompson have been ruled out of this game with injuries.
Preston North End team news
The visiting side will be without the service of Joshua Murphy, Connor Wickham, Isaiah Brown, Matthew Olosunde and Tom Barkhuizen due to injuries.
Prediction and odds
Stoke is the better team on paper but their recent form is not promising having lost to a low ranked team in their previous fixture while the opponent here is not the best team on paper but their confidence have been building. We predict shared spoils here.
- Draw
- Double Chance
- Both teams to score
