'Too much quality' – Middlesbrough vs Stoke City prediction: The72

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Stoke City head to the Riverside Stadium this weekend to take on Middlesbrough in their latest Championship outing.

Stoke City made the surprise decision to cut ties with Steven Schumacher at the start of last week in a move that raised eyebrows across the division. They have since replaced him with former Huddersfield Town and Norwich City number two Narcis Pelach.

The Potters’ new boss lost his first game at the helm last Friday at home to Hull City. The Tigers hadn’t won in their first five fixtures before rocking up at the Bet365 Stadium and taking the three points back home to East Yorkshire after a 3-1 win.

Pelach will want to see a reaction from his team but they are in for a tough test against Middlesbrough. Boro delved into the summer window to sign the likes of Tommy Conway, Ben Doak and Aidan Morris.

Michael Carrick’s side are aiming for promotion to the Premier League this term and will want to bounce back from their 1-0 away loss to rivals Sunderland at the Stadium of Light last time out. They are currently sat in 12th place in the table and are three points off the play-offs.

Here, a handful of our writers make their predictions for the game…

Harry Mail

“Stoke City supporters will have to be patient with Pelach. He will want to change their style of play and it will take time for his ideas to get across the players.

“I can’t understand why they sacked Schumacher though and they were very poor against Hull City, especially in the second-half. Chopping and changing managers all the time is not a healthy approach.

“Middlesbrough have a lot more stability and although they lost at Sunderland, they should fancy their chances of getting a win on home soil here. If they show up, they will have too much quality for the Potters.

“Carrick has been with Boro for a while now and this is a big season for him.”

Prediction: Middlesbrough 2-0 Stoke City

James Ray

“It’s time for Middlesbrough to really kick on after a bit of a sluggish start to the season. They have the players in their ranks to push up the table, so they need to start making inroads.

“Stoke City are still a bit of an unknown quantity but the first showing under Pelach wasn’t great. He had barely had time to work with his players though, so he’ll be hoping for an improved display here.

“That said, I think Boro will have a clear edge, especially on home turf. I’ll say they get the job done with a 2-0 triumph.”

Prediction: Middlesbrough 2-0 Stoke City

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