Stoke City will take on Middlesbrough in round 4 of the English Championship. The match will take place at Bet365 Stadium (Stoke on Trent) on Wednesday, August 17.
Stoke City slowly became a mid-table team. The “Potters”, a strong team, had a number of very talented, but not top-notch, players. They remained at the “equator”, in the Premier League standings for a while, and were even FA Cup runners up in 2011. The team did not make an impact at a lower level, even though they had taken off. Michael O’Neill, a highly successful and experienced mentor, is now the club’s new coach. Last season, the club finished in a disappointing 14th position. This season, they lost to Millwall in round one and were relegated on penalties from Morecambe in League Cup. They won against Blackpool but it was followed by 3-3 at Huddersfield.
Midhurst was a little short of success last season. They seem a bit like their next opponent. It was once an original team, which played in the Premier League, won the League Cup, and made it to the final of the UEFA Cup. He was also returning to the “tower”, under Aitor Karanka, after he had flown to the Championship. However, it was not enough to gain a foothold. Chris Wilder did not have enough time, however, in the final draw. He was a Sheffield United legend and he saved the day in November. He finished 7th in Middlesbrough, just outside of the playoff zone. It was true that, contrary to optimistic expectations, the start was sloppy: 1-1 at West Brom, 2-3 at QPR and then, in the 82nd, 2-2 at Sheffield United. They also lost the League Cup immediately at home to Barnsley, 0-1.
Middlesbrough is confident with Stoke as part of the Championship. In 8 of their last meetings, there was only one defeat and 5 wins. They collected 7 of the 9 points in their last fights. Although both clubs appear to be in a bad place at the beginning, a full-time duel can help them improve. We are still waiting for a good fight. We recommend betting on “over2.0 goals”
Prediction: The match will see over 2.0 goals.
