Premier League side Nottingham Forest will take on Championship outfit Stoke City in a friendly on Friday, with both teams preparing for the return of competitive action.
Stoke were last in action on November 12, suffering a 2-0 loss to West Bromwich Albion, while Forest recorded a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace in their last Premier League game on the same day.
Match preview
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Stoke have found it difficult in the opening months of the 2022-23 Championship campaign, picking up just 25 points from their 21 matches, which has left them down in 17th position in the table.
Alex Neil's side are only two points above 22nd-placed Wigan Athletic, while they have lost two of their last three in the Championship, including a 2-0 reverse to West Brom last time out.
Stoke's league campaign will resume on December 10, and they then have a busy end to the month, facing Cardiff City, Bristol City, Rotherham United and Burnley before hosting Preston North End on January 2.
The Potters are in their fifth straight campaign in the Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in 2017-18, and they have struggled in the bottom half of the second tier since dropping out of the top flight.
Stoke will hope that the break has helped them reset ahead of a huge second half of the campaign, and Friday's clash with Forest will be a valuable fixture ahead of the game against Cardiff.
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Forest, meanwhile, were last in action against Palace in the Premier League on November 12, recording a 1-0 victory at the City Ground courtesy of a second-half effort from Morgan Gibbs-White.
Steve Cooper's side are unbeaten in their last three matches, which has also included a 2-0 success over Tottenham Hotspur in the EFL Cup.
Forest will not be back in competitive action until December 21, when they will face Blackburn Rovers in the EFL Cup, while their next Premier League game will be against Manchester United at Old Trafford on December 27.
The Reds have four friendlies scheduled during this period, following this contest with fixtures against Alromitos, Olympiacos and Valencia.
Forest, who currently sit 18th in the Premier League table, have not actually beaten Stoke since September 2019, with the Potters taking four points from their two Championship matches during the 2021-22 campaign.
Team News
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Stoke will be without the services of Harry Souttar, who has helped Australia reach the last-16 stage of the World Cup with some brilliant performances in Qatar.
The 24-year-old starred in his country's 1-0 win over Denmark on Wednesday, and his displays have been even more impressive considering that he only returned from a serious knee injury against Luton Town on November 8 ahead of linking up with the Australia squad.
Stoke boss Neil is expected to send a strong starting side onto the field, with Lewis Baker, Phil Jagielka and Nick Powell among those expected to start.
As for Forest, Brennan Johnson, Neco Williams and Wayne Hennessey will soon be heading back to the club, having represented now-eliminated Wales at the World Cup.
Cheikhou Kouyate and Remo Freuler are still at the competition with Senegal and Switzerland respectively, so the pair will also not be involved in this match.
Head coach Cooper is likely to name a recognisable XI, though, with Gibbs-White, Jesse Lingard and Renan Lodi set to be among those in the side.
Stoke City possible starting lineup:
Bonham; Clarke, Jagielka, Wilmot, Tymon; Baker, Thompson, Smallbone; Delap, Powell, Campbell
Nottingham Forest possible starting lineup:
Henderson; Aurier, Worrall, Boly, Lodi; Yates, Colback, O'Brien; Surridge, Gibbs-White, Lingard
We say: Stoke City 1-1 Nottingham Forest
This is expected to be a competitive match between the two sides, and we are predicting a close contest on Friday. There will be alterations throughout the game, though, which could interrupt the flow, especially in the second period, and we have therefore settled on a low-scoring draw here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
