Southampton vs Stoke prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2024-04-26 14:00.
[p]A 5-0 drubbing at the hands of fellow promotion chasers Leicester in midweek was labelled as āpatheticā by Southampton boss Russell Martin. Heāll be hoping to see some sort of reaction to his stern words here when Stoke come to town, as with automatic promotion now out of the question, the Saints are simply bidding to build some momentum ahead the play-offs.[/p]
[p]The old Championship adage says that the team arriving in the best form usually wins the play-offs, but on the back of two successive league defeats, Southampton are falling out of form at an inopportune time. On the verge of losing three-straight league games for the first time since September, the visit of a Stoke side they have beaten in just one of the last six home H2Hs (D3, L2) seems untimely.[/p]
[p]Still not mathematically safe from the drop, Stoke arenāt on the beach just yet, with a four-point cushion to the drop zone by no means comfortable. Their Championship status for next season could be confirmed this weekend if they simply win this game, while a host of other permutations would also secure survival, but for boss Steven Schumacher, itāll be full focus on this game where they seek a third win in five away league games (W2, D1, L1).Ā [/p]
[p]A negative away record against sides starting the round inside the top six (D1, L4) would hint thatās unlikely for Stoke, while the fact all four defeats came āto nilā is a little concerning. If the Potters are to at least break their scoring duck here, itāll most likely come after the break, as their last five away league goals all arrived beyond the hour mark![/p]
[p]Players to watch: Southampton centre-back, and former Stoke loanee, Taylor Harwood-Bellis has amassed four goal contributions this season (G2, A2) against sides who, like Stoke, start the round in the bottom eight. Luke Cundle netted his first Potters goal in their last away outing, and he interestingly scored in a Championship road trip on Matchday 45 last season whilst playing for Swansea![/p]
[p]Hot stat: Southampton have opened the scoring in a joint-league high 31 games this season.Ā [/p]