Stoke
- Mark Robins has been a big improvement for Stoke since taking over in January 2025 and his pragmatic, structured approach has the Potters averaging 1.53 goals per game at home in the Championship while conceding fewer than they score.
- Stoke will set up in either a flexible back three or 4-2-3-1 and will be solid in their build-up play, wing overloads and mid-block pressing.
- They can be vulnerable when they sit deep and get caught on the break, but Robins has put a solid structure into his team and they have been solid in their two recent home games, drawing 3-3 with Ipswich and beating Watford 3-1.
Wednesday
Wednesday will come at them with a different philosophy altogether with Henrik Pedersen bringing the high-octane, front-foot, pressing approach from his Red Bull days into the Hillsborough club.
Head-to-Head
Stoke have won both of the last two head-to-head meetings between the teams and won 3-0 away earlier this season.
Key Players
- Sorba Thomas has been Stoke's main man up front with 10 Championship goals in 38 appearances this term but Wednesday have lacked a focal point with Charlie McNeill their next highest scorer with four in 34 games.
- Jerry Yates has been their most reliable in recent games, netting three of their four goals in the last five.
Betting Insights
- The bet365 Stadium is not a particularly easy place to go with eight wins, five draws and six losses from 19 home games.
- The odds of 1.29 reflect Stoke’s superior home record and greater attacking edge, while we are taking Wednesday’s pressing approach into account by backing both teams to score at 2.15 and over 2.5 goals at 1.73.
Prediction
- A win for Stoke is still expected.
- We are backing both teams to score and over 2.5 goals.
