'Same old problems' – Stoke City vs Preston North End prediction: The72
Today at 03:41 AM
Stoke City host relegation-threatened Preston North End on Tuesday evening looking to make it five games unbeaten.
Stoke City have had a mixed start, sitting five points above the relegation zone and six behind the play-offs. The Potters are 12th with 20 points from 16 matches, while Preston North End sit 20th with 16 points.
They enter this match on a four-game unbeaten run, including wins over Derby County and Blackburn Rovers.
Manager Narcis Pelach, appointed in September 2024, will look to extend his side’s extending unbeaten streak. His side faces a Preston team they’ve failed to beat in their last seven meetings at the Bet365 Stadium.
Preston North End meanwhile are just one point above the drop zone after three wins, seven draws, and six defeats. They’ve struggled this season after collapsing late last year, finishing 10th despite being in play-off contention.
Winless in their last six matches, the Lilywhites have drawn four and lost two. Manager Paul Heckingbottom will aim to turn draws into wins and pull away from danger, starting with Tuesday’s trip to Stoke City.
Here, a handful of our writers make their predictions for the game…
Charlie Hodgson
“Stoke City are big favourites for this one in my opinion. After two draws in their last two they will be determined to stop that trend as soon as possible.
“Preston North End just cannot seem to buy a result right now though. They will be especially disappointed to come away with just one point from games against Portsmouth and Derby County.
“Stoke win this for me. They are starting to look like a very decent side under Narcis Pelach and I think they will continue that trend in midweek.”
Prediction: Stoke City 2-0 Preston North End
James Ray
“Stoke City and Preston North End both came away from their weekend games with points but the mood in Staffordshire is far brighter than that at Deepdale.
“There have been improvements under Heckingbottom but the LIlywhites are experiencing the same old problems and it’s hard to see them turning until January. The Potters are definitely capable of making them pay on Tuesday night too.
“There’s real hope for the future under Pelach and they can set their sights on finally pushing towards the play-off spots this season. They have to win these games though, regardless of whether they’re in a transition period.
“That said, I’m going for a Potters win here. I’ll say they win 2-0.”
Prediction: Stoke City 2-0 Preston North End
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