Stoke City and Sheffield Wed. face off this Friday at the Bet365 Stadium in the EFL Championship.
The Potters currently have 47 points and lie in 18th position after a vital 0-1 victory against Cardiff City last time out.
Sheffield Wednesday, meanwhile, are comfortably ensconced in mid-table with 53 points. However, Owls manager Danny Röhl will not have been pleased with his side's 0-1 reverse against Oxford United in their last Championship fixture.
The last meeting between the two teams ended in a 2-0 win for Wednesday.
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Stephen Gillett (Playmaker Stats on Stoke): The Potters are starting to find some consistency in personnel at the moment and that is translating into better form. The Potters are unbeaten in four going into this one and their manager Mark Robins will know that a win against Wednesday would be a huge stride towards Championship safety. The fact Stoke's top scorer remains a player (Tom Cannon) who left the club back in January says it all about the Potters' continuing struggles in front of goal, but they are competitive at the moment and you would fancy them not to lose this one given the importance of the fixture and their growing momentum going into the game.
Prediction: 0-0
Richard Cole (Playmaker Stats on Sheff Wed):
After five Championship games without a win, Sheffield Wednesday will be happy to get back to earning three points away to Stoke on a wet, windy, Friday night. Regardless of the result, 2024/25 has been relatively successful for the Owls; Championship status has been confirmed with little fuss. Indeed, Wednesday no longer feel like a team that could easily fluctuate between the second and third tiers.
While moving further up the table would be preferable, Danny Röhl's team need a little more time to stabilise before they think of fighting for a play-off spot. Of course, more points and more wins will surely add to the confidence ahead of the 2025/26 season so better results are expected.
Prediction: 0-1
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