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

Stoke City will welcome newly-promoted Wrexham to the bet365 Stadium for Saturday's Championship encounter. 

The Potters are sitting in fifth position in the Championship table, while the Red Dragons are down in 18th position. 

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Match preview

Stoke started Mark Robins's first season in charge with four victories in their opening five league matches, but they have since lost momentum with a four-game winless run.

The Potters fell to a narrow 1-0 defeat away to Queens Park Rangers, before they played out three consecutive draws against Norwich City, Middlesbrough and Blackburn Rovers.

Million Manhoef's opener appeared to put Stoke on course for victory against Blackburn, only for them to be denied maximum points by Augustus Kargbo's 82nd-minute equaliser. 

Despite experiencing a dip in form, Stoke are still firmly in the promotion picture, with just three points separating them from the top two ahead of matchday ten.

The Potters will be hoping to claim their first win in over a month when they take on Wrexham for the first time since claiming a 3-1 FA Cup win in January 2015. 

Stoke will head into the matchday with the league's joint-best defensive record, having conceded just six times in their opening nine matches.

After winning three consecutive promotions, Wrexham, unsurprisingly, have found life much tougher in their first second-tier campaign since 1981-82. 

Phil Parkinson's side have won two, drawn four and lost three of their opening nine league matches, leaving them four points above the relegation zone and five points adrift of the playoffs.

While they have struggled to consistently pick up wins, Wrexham have at least proven to be a tough team to beat in recent times, having avoided defeat in each of their last five competitive matches.

They got the better of Norwich City and Reading in the league and EFL Cup respectively, before they played out three consecutive 1-1 draws in the lead-up to the international break. 

The most recent of those score draws took place against Birmingham City at the Racecourse Ground, where George Dobson saw his opener cancelled out by Patrick Roberts to prolong Wrexham's wait for their first home league win of the season.

In contrast, they have enjoyed success on the road this season, having won three and drawn one of their last four competitive away games since losing to Southampton on the opening day of the campaign. 

Stoke City Championship form:

Wrexham Championship form:

Wrexham form (all competitions):

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Team News

Stoke defender Bosun Lawal remains unavailable for selection after missing the last two matches with a hamstring injury.

Sam Gallagher and Lewis Baker have both been struggling with calf issues and will have to be assessed ahead of Saturday's home fixture.

Bae Jun-ho is also a doubt after he was released from the South Korea Under-22 camp early due to a shoulder complaint. 

As for the visitors, they are unable to call upon the services of Danny Ward, Andy Cannon, Harry Ashfield and Jay Rodriguez.

Ollie Rathbone and George Thomason should feature in the matchday squad after recovering from their respective injury problems.

Liberato Cacace is also close to returning to first-team action, but it remains to be seen whether the New Zealand international will be ready for the weekend. 

Stoke City possible starting lineup:

Johansson; Tchamadeu, Phillips, Wilmot, Cresswell; Rigo, Seko; Manhoef, Bae, Thomas; Mubama

Wrexham possible starting lineup:

Okonkwo; Cleworth, Hyam, Doyle; Kabore, Dobson, Sheaf, Longman; Windass, O'Brien; Moore

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We say: Stoke City 1-1 Wrexham

Stoke may be five points better off than their opponents, but they have seen each of their last three matches finish all square, and considering that Wrexham have drawn three matches on the bounce, we think that Saturday's contest will see the two sides grab a point apiece. 

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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