Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Championship match
Stoke City
At the start of the season, Stoke City have shown starkly contrasting performances at home and away. At the Britannia, they comfortably defeated Coventry City (1:0), allowing only eight shots on their goal. However, away at Watford, they were pinned back, conceding 26 shots. The heavy defeat was deserved. Offensively, it has been challenging to implement manager Steve Schumacher's tactics. Out of seven shots against Watford, only one was genuinely dangerous, and by then, Stoke were already down 3:0. The recent loan acquisition of attacking midfielder Andrew Moran from Brighton might add some diversity to their attack. Last season, the Irish youth international spent time at Blackburn Rovers.
West Bromwich
West Bromwich Albion won only once this season in an away match against Queens Park Rangers (3:1), with Josh Maja scoring a hat-trick. However, in their next game against Leeds United (0:0), Maja was kept in check, managing only one shot on target. At Elland Road, West Bromwich struggled to pose a significant threat, making only eight shots. The team prefers to build up play and maintain possession (58% and 60% in previous games) rather than taking shots at every opportunity. Although their accuracy against Leeds suffered, with only one shot on target compared to seven (four on target) against QPR.
Stoke City - West Bromwich Prediction
In four of the last six head-to-head meetings between these teams, at least three goals were scored. However, bookmakers now predict a low-scoring match, and we agree. Stoke play more confidently at home but struggle with finishing. West Brom are unlikely to go on the offensive away from home.
