Stoke vs Plymouth prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2024-04-19 14:00.
[p]Stoke City host Plymouth Argyle on Saturday, with the teams one point apart and only marginally above the Championship’s bottom three. The Potters are coming off a four-game winless run (D3, L1), but all three draws saw them come from behind, showing the hunger to fight for safety. And with the added spice of head coach Steven Schumacher facing his former club since his switch in December, victory will avenge Stoke’s 2-1 loss in the reverse fixture.[/p]
[p]Crowd support could be vital as they return to the bet365 Stadium, but Stoke have won only two of their last 14 home league games (D6, L6). Slow starts have cost them dearly during that run, as they have conceded first in six of their last eight Championship matches on their own patch, dropping points each time (D2, L4).[/p]
[p]Plymouth surprised Leicester 1-0 last Friday to not just make the automatic promotion race interesting, but also boost their own survival bid. Seven points from three games (W2, D1) has lifted the mood in the camp, after a run of one point across six league matches prior to that victory led them closer to the relegation zone. And largely thanks to their impressive scoring record, the Pilgrims have a better goal difference than every team from 16th downwards after 43 rounds, which could prove pivotal in this tight battle for safety.[/p]
[p]Results have improved on the road lately, with three wins in their last seven away league games (D1, L3), while the visiting fans have got used to cheering at least once on nearly all of their recent travels, as Plymouth have scored exactly one goal in eight of their last ten competitive trips.[/p]
[p]Players to watch: Stoke defender Ki-Jana Hoever could be bombing forward every now and then, with the Dutchman yet to taste defeat for the club when getting on the scoresheet during his current loan spell (W2, D1). Even better than him, Mustapha Bundu has seen his three Championship goals this season come in three wins, including in the reverse fixture.[/p]
[p]Hot stat: Stoke haven’t scored a first-half goal in eight successive matches, while Plymouth have kept a first-half clean sheet in five consecutive games.[/p]