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

Looking to bounce back from a couple of difficult matches, Stoke City welcome Swansea City to the bet365 Stadium for a Championship clash on Saturday afternoon.

The Potters were downed by a wonder strike at Portman Road last time out, whilst the Swans managed a much-needed success in South Wales.

Match preview

After close to eight years of midtable mediocrity in the Championship, Stoke City are on a mission to make a real fist of fighting for a Premier League berth in 2025-26, however they have suffered severe setbacks in recent times.

The Potters have now lost three straight matches in the second tier for the first time this campaign after a narrow defeat at promotion favourites Ipswich Town, who have a Jaden Philogene stunner to thank for maximum points.

Losing five of their last six second-tier battles, Mark Robins's men have dropped down to eighth spot in the Championship standings ahead of this weekend's hosting of Swansea, a single point behind the playoff pace.

On the contrary to the beginning of the campaign, Stoke have started to struggle at their Staffordshire base in recent times, with Saturday's hosts losing two of their last three matches at the bet365 Stadium in the league.

Experiencing the pain of Championship relegation with Huddersfield Town during the 2023-24 campaign, Sorba Thomas is hoping to cherish the delights of the second tier this time around, with the Welshman scoring seven goals already.

© Imago / IMAGO / Pro Sports Images

Following a woeful five-game losing run in November, Swansea City have commenced their December duties in excellent fashion, picking up back-to-back wins in the division for the first time this season.

The latest of those triumphs arrived at the Swansea.com Stadium on Tuesday night, when a second-half strike from Liam Cullen was enough for maximum points against Portsmouth, who are set for a relegation battle.

After collecting his maiden points as Swansea boss since a recent arrival, Vitor Matos and company have moved up to 18th position in the Championship standings, creating a six-point buffer between themselves and the relegation zone.

Rather unsurprisingly, the Swans have struggled away from their South Wales base during their worrying run of form, with the Welsh outfit losing three straight away contests in the Championship since November 5.

After taking time to find his feet in English football during the 2024-25 campaign, Zan Vipotnik is proving himself as a top asset at this level this term, with the Slovenia international bagging seven goals across 15 appearances.

Stoke City Championship form: L L W L L L

Swansea City Championship form: L L L L W W

Team News

© Imago / Action Plus

Stoke remain without the services of former Chelsea academy graduate Lewis Baker, who is recovering from an ankle problem.

As a result, there are limited options in the middle of the park for the Potters, who are likely to select veteran Steven Nzonzi once again.

Despite Stoke's struggles with keeping teams out at the moment, goalkeeper Viktor Johansson is in no danger of losing his starting berth.

Scoring the game-winning goal off the bench earlier in the week, attacker Cullen is knocking on the door for a Swansea start.

The same can be said of midfielder Malick Yalcouye, with the 20-year-old providing the assist for the Welshman against Pompey.

Stoke City possible starting lineup:

Johansson; Tchmadeu, Talovierov, Wilmot, Cresswell; Lawal, Nzonzi, Thomas, Bae, Cisse; Mubama

Swansea City possible starting lineup:

Vigouroux; Galbraith, Cabango, Burgess, Tymon; Franco, Stamenic, Pereira, Cullen, Eom; Idah

We say: Stoke City 1-0 Swansea City

Beaten by a wonder goal at Portman Road earlier in the week, Stoke will be desperate to return to winning ways on Saturday.

Swansea have enjoyed some home successes this month so far, but we expect their woes on the road to continue for a little while yet.

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