Preview: Stoke City vs Leicester City - prediction, team news, lineups

Both aiming to record their first Championship victories of February, Stoke City and Leicester City clash at the bet365 Stadium on Saturday afternoon for a battle of the Midlands.

The Potters were knocked out of the FA Cup by Premier League Fulham in Staffordshire last weekend, whilst the Foxes were defeated in the same competition by second-tier Southampton.

Match preview

Following a promising start to the campaign in which a return to the Premier League for the first time since 2018 was suggested, Stoke City have fallen out of the playoff picture with just two Championship wins since the beginning of January.

In fact, the Potters winless run across all competitions stretched to a saddening seven matches (D3 L4) last weekend, when a well-worked Bae Jun-Ho goal was not enough to prevent Fulham from progressing into the fifth round of this year's FA Cup.

After collecting a mere three points from their past six second-tier battles, Saturday afternoon's hosts have slipped to an uninspiring 14th spot in the Championship standings ahead of this weekend, five points behind sixth-placed Derby County.

Winless in their last four matches (D1 L3) at the bet365 Stadium, Mark Robins's men have to cast their minds back to December 13 for their most recent memory of a home Championship triumph, when a wonder goal from Ben Pearson helped to conquer Swansea City.

Stoke will need to battle recent and long-term form to pick up a positive result on Saturday afternoon, with the Potters currently enduring a five-game losing streak versus Leicester, failing to win any of the last 11 meetings between the Midlands foes.

After the ill-fated reign of Marti Cifuentes and a recent six-point deduction for breaching financial rules, former Premier League champions Leicester City have turned to a Championship firefighter to save them from relegation to the third tier.

Keeping humble Oxford United in the division last season, Gary Rowett has been appointed as Foxes boss until the end of the campaign, with the second-tier expert walking into a dire situation at the King Power Stadium ahead of this weekend.

The East Midlands outfit have picked up just the single point from their last six Championship contests, leaving them two points behind West Bromwich Albion in the relative safety of 21st in the second-tier rankings.

Considering all competitions, the ex-English title holders are in the midst of a five-game losing run, with Southampton proving to be the bane of Leicester's existence in recent times, beating the Foxes twice last week in both league and cup action.

Looking to extend their unbeaten run against Stoke to 12 matches on Saturday afternoon, Leicester are heavily reliant on the attacking antics of Abdul Fatawu, who has netted three goals in his last four Championship appearances.

Stoke City Championship form: D L D L D L

Stoke City form (all competitions): L D L D L L

Leicester City Championship form: L D L L L L

Leicester City form (all competitions): D L L L L L

Team News

A top performer in the Championship for the majority of this decade, Stoke goalkeeper Viktor Johansson is currently sidelined because of a shoulder injury.

Youngster Tommy Simkin will retain his berth in net due to the absence of Gavin Bazunu (hip), with the knee issues of Junior Tchamadeu further restricting the Potters' options at the back.

There are also problems for Stoke to battle against at the top of the pitch, with both Sam Gallagher (hamstring) and Robert Bozenik (shoulder) yet to feature in February.

A nine-goal sensation this term for relegation-threatened Leicester, Jordan James is a costly absentee for the visitors owing to a hamstring issue.

The Foxes have introduced a number of promising young players into their fight for survival, including defender Olabade Aluko and attacking midfielder Divine Mukasa, with the latter on loan from Manchester City.

Stoke City possible starting lineup:

Simkin; Lawal, Phillips, Wilmot, Cresswell; Seko, Nzonzi, Rak-Sakyi, Rigo, Thomas; Cisse

Leicester City possible starting lineup:

Stolarczyk; Pereira, Okoli, Nelson, Thomas; Skipp, Winks, Fatawu, Mukasa, Mavididi; Daka

We say: Stoke City 1-1 Leicester City

Winless against Leicester since January 2015, Stoke will sense the opportunity to enjoy a long-awaited triumph at the expense of the visitors this weekend.

Expect Leicester to be rejuvenated and robust under the stewardship of Rowett, who would probably take a hard-fought point in The Potteries on Saturday afternoon.

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