The writers at The72 predict what will happen when Stoke City and Middlesbrough play in the Championship on Saturday afternoon.
Stoke City lost 2-1 away to Cardiff City last weekend, which sent them into the relegation zone going into this matchup with Middlesbrough.
Within five minutes, Kion Etete gave the Bluebirds the lead, and Karlan Grant doubled Cardiff’s lead shortly after. Before halftime, Bae Jun-Ho cut the margin in half, but the Potters could not find a way to tie the score, and as a result, they ended up 22nd in the Championship table.
Middlesbrough, who lost 2-0 at home to Plymouth Argyle in their most recent game, also experienced defeat when they visit the bet365 Stadium.
Argyle led at the half thanks to goals from Ryan Hardie and Matthew Sorinola, and Michael Carrick’s team could not muster a comeback as they finished 13th in the Championship. Their prior hopes of making the playoffs suddenly seem improbable.
Here are some of our writers’ predictions for the match…
Stoke appears to be seriously troubled. They are the only team at the bottom of the table that, aside from Rotherham United, doesn’t seem to have had much fight in recent weeks.
“If Potters continue to play like they did on Saturday, it will be difficult to see them winning the game. It is a worrying time to be a Potters fan.”
“Carrick still has a great squad, and the former Manchester United player has definitely still coaxed a tune out of them on occasion this season, even though Boro have not quite reached the heights of last season.
“I think the visitors will end up with three points, but I can see the scoreline being close.”
“It’s incredibly difficult to predict when Stoke City will turn things around. With how bad they’ve been this season and how little they have to their credit, Schumacher will have a very difficult time pulling anything out of this team.
“Going back” After replacing Ricky Martin, Jon Walters gave a rallying call, but would that have a significant effect on the playing group? I’m not entirely certain.
Even though they have been inconsistent, Middlesbrough has managed to maintain a respectable away record. They seem to be going to win this.
