Match Preview: Stoke City v Middlesbrough (Saturday, 3pm)

Stoke City are on a poor run ahead of hosting Middlesbrough at the bet365 Stadium on Saturday, with just three points collected from their last six games.

The Potters have picked up just one win in their last six Championship games, and face a Boro side whose last six games have brought one win and two draws.

Stoke are 22nd in the table after 34 games, of which they have won nine and drawn eight, earning 35 points.

Middlesbrough are nine places ahead of City in 13th, with 13 wins and five draws putting them on 44 points.

In the last 10 years, Stoke and Middlesbrough have played each other on 13 occasions. Stoke won three of them, Middlesbrough five, and they drew five times.

On average, the Potters scored 0.8 goals and the Boro 1.2 in those matches.

Their last meeting was on October 28, when Stoke won 2-0 away.

With 31 goals in 34 games so far this season, the Potters are the league’s third-lowest scorers with 0.9 goals per game. And they are conceding at an average rate, letting in 48 goals at a rate of 1.4 per game.

The Boro, meanwhile, are average scorers, with 1.4 goals per game. They have conceded 1.5 goals per game.

Stoke’s last match was on February 24, a 2-1 loss against Cardiff City, with Joon-Ho Bae getting the goal for the Potters.

Middlesbrough lost 2-0 against Plymouth Argyle last time out, also on February 24.

Saturday’s match will be refereed by John Busby, who has taken charge of 17 Championship games so far this season, issuing one red card and booking 75 players. He has awarded four penalties.

The last Stoke game Busby refereed was a 4-1 home win against Rotherham United on August 5. His last Middlesbrough match was their 3-2 loss away at Bristol City on November 25.

This website contains product affiliate links. We may receive a commission if you make a purchase after clicking on one of these links.

Stoke City v Middlesbrough
Championship | bet365 Stadium
Saturday, 2 March 2024 @ 3.00pm

Find the best UK betting sites at betting.bet

For exclusive stories and all the detailed EFL news you need, subscribe to The Football League Paper website, digital edition, or newspaper from as little as 14p a day.