'Shellshocked' – Stoke City vs Fleetwood Town prediction: The72
09/16/2024 05:43 AM
Stoke City and Fleetwood Town meet in the third round of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night with both sides determined to progress.
Stoke City come into this midweek Carabao Cup clash looking to avoid a banana skin and progress to the fourth round by beating League Two opposition.
The Potters defeated one fourth-tier opponent to get to this stage, winning 2-0 against Carlisle United in the opening round. They then thumped Middlesbrough 5-0 in the second round, so will be hopeful of claiming a result here too.
However, the big story coming into this one is that the Championship side are managerless. They made a shocking announcement that Steven Schumacher had left on Monday, leaving Alex Morris and Ryan Shawcross in caretaker charge.
As for Fleetwood Town, they’ve taken eight points from five League Two games under the lead of former Stoke City midfielder Charlie Adam. They were victorious at the weekend, beating Carlisle United 3-2.
They have overcome West Brom and Rotherham United to get to this stage, winning both games 2-1. The Cod Army will be eyeing a similar result against a managerless Potters side as they bid to continue their cup run.
Here, a handful of our writers make their predictions for the game…
James Ray
“Well, it’s safe to say no one thought Stoke City would be coming into this game without a manager. Schumacher’s departure has left fans shellshocked, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if the players were feeling pretty similar.
“That will surely play into the hands of the visitors, who will be out to pull off another surprise win to progress to the next stage.
“Both their triumphs were on home turf though, and an away game against Championship opposition is going to pose some threats. As such, I am still leaning towards a home win.
“It should be a close game, but I’ll say Stoke City emerge on top.”
Prediction: Stoke City 2-1 Fleetwood Town
Harry Mail
“Schumacher’s exit from Stoke City has dominated the headlines on Monday morning. Not many saw it coming and the Potters now need to find the right replacement.
“Their upcoming Carabao Cup clash against Fleetwood Town has almost taken a backseat now.
“Their visitors will be looking to cause a shock but the home players will be eager to impress their prospective new manager, whoever it may be.
“The hosts are two leagues above the Cod Army so for that reason, I’m going to go for a home win, despite the fact they have distractions off the pitch right now.”
Prediction: Stoke City 2-0 Fleetwood Town
The post ‘Shellshocked’ – Stoke City vs Fleetwood Town prediction: The72 appeared first on The72 - Football League News.
