Aiming to end their worrying winless run, Stoke City will welcome newly-promoted Derby County to the bet365 Stadium for a Championship clash on Saturday afternoon.
The Potters were in action earlier in the week on the quest for EFL Cup glory, whereas the Rams have been afforded a full week to recover from a second-tier battle with Hull City.
Match preview
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Since the 6-1 smashing of relegation candidates Portsmouth on October 2, Stoke City have experienced a serious downturn in form, enduring a run of five games without a win across all competitions, including a narrow defeat at Premier League Southampton in the EFL Cup on Tuesday night.
After going two goals behind in the first half, the Potters fought back valiantly in the second period through strikes from Ashley Phillips and Tom Cannon to restore parity in the contest momentarily, but an 88th-minute effort from Saints left-back James Bree booked his side's spot in the quarter-finals.
Focusing on Championship matters, Stoke are aiming to bounce back following a sobering two-goal defeat at the home of promotion favourites Sheffield United last Saturday, when goals either side of the half-time whistle from Kieffer Moore and Tyrese Campbell won the match for the Blades.
Winning just one of seven second-tier fixtures since the arrival of Narcis Pelach following the sacking of Steven Schumacher, the Potters are currently occupying 19th position in the Championship table, just a single point above Luton Town in the highest of the relegation spots.
Eight of Stoke's 12 league points have been collected at their bet365 Stadium base so far this season, with Saturday's hosts unbeaten in three Championship matches at their Staffordshire home ahead of Derby's visit.
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After battling through the first nine matches of their Championship return without experiencing a stalemate, Derby County have drawn three straight games, sharing the spoils on the road with Millwall and Oxford United, before Hull City snatched a point at Pride Park last weekend.
Following a goalless first period in the East Midlands, midfielder Xavier Simons fired Tim Walter's Tigers ahead shortly after the restart, but the Rams managed to rally and quickly bag an equaliser, with 19-year-old Dajaune Brown scoring his maiden goal for the club.
Heading into this weekend's trip to the Potteries holding a four-game unbeaten streak, Derby are currently sitting 12th in the Championship standings, four points above the relegation zone and four points behind Blackburn Rovers, who are camped on the final playoff spot.
No player in the Rams' squad has netted more than twice in the second tier so far, highlighting that the goalscoring burden is being shared evenly, with the likes of Curtis Nelson, Kayden Jackson and summer arrival Kenzo Goudmijn all coming up with big moments.
Team News
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Stoke remain without the services of Ben Pearson, with the midfielder sidelined for at least a couple of weeks due to a troublesome hamstring issue.
The Potters are also unable to call upon the talents of former Celtic star Bosun Lawal, who has failed to feature so far this term because of a back injury.
Sam Gallagher remains on the sidelines with a calf injury, meaning that Leicester City loanee Cannon is almost certain to start in Staffordshire.
A regular in the engine room at the beginning of the term, Derby's David Ozoh has not played since the middle of September due to a hamstring strain.
The Rams are short of options at right-back owing to the absence of Ryan Nyambe, with the former Blackburn defender struggling for fitness because of a knee injury.
Stoke City possible starting lineup:
Johansson; Tchamadeu, Wilmot, Phillips, Gibson, Stevens; Manhoef, Moran, Burger, Koumas; Cannon
Derby County possible starting lineup:
Zetterstrom; Wilson, Nelson, Cashin, Forsyth; Goudmijn, Adams, Harness; Jackson, Yates, Mendez-Laing
We say: Stoke City 2-1 Derby County
After putting in a respectable performance against Premier League opposition in the EFL Cup, Stoke should be confident of earning three points at home to Derby.
The Rams are winless from six Championship away matches so far, and we do not envisage the visitors breaking that streak in Staffordshire this weekend.
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Carter White
