Stoke City vs Plymouth Argyle: Betting Odds & Prediction
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Stoke City host Plymouth Argyle this weekend in a pivotal match in the Championship relegation battle.
The match at the Bet365 stadium will see Stoke boss Steven Schumacher come up against his former side for the first time since leaving them for the Potteries earlier this season. A win for either could eradicate any lingering relegation fears as Stoke sit just three points above the drop zone. Argyle, meanwhile, are currently four clear.
Kick off is set for 3pm UK time on Saturday.
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Stoke City
The Potters find themselves firmly entrenched in what is turning into one of the Championship’s closest ever relegation battles. Any side below sixteenth in the table can still realistically fill the final two relegation places with just three games left to play.
Stoke’s form is a cause for concern, having gone without a win in their previous four outings. Their most recent match was a 1-1 draw at fellow relegation strugglers Sheffield Wednesday, which followed up a heavy 3-0 defeat away at Swansea City. They also drew their previous two home matches, which thus far has been enough to keep their heads just above water.
Stoke have won just six of their 21 home games so far this season, with their last, a 2-0 victory over Middlesbrough, coming at the start of March. Stoke have struggled for goals all season, managing just 41 throughout the campaign at an average of 0.95 per match. This is comfortably less than their seasonal expected goals (xG) tally of 1.27.
Steven Schumacher’s side have conceded 60 league goals this season, at an average of 1.40 per match, slightly up on their expected goals against (xGA) projection.
Plymouth Argyle
A difficult second half of the season has dragged Plymouth Argyle into relegation trouble after seeming relatively comfortable at the halfway stage. Argyle’s survival hopes have been significantly boosted lately, with them having picked up seven points from their last nine available under the interim guidance of Neil Dewsnip and Kevin Nancekivell.
This includes a magnificent 1-0 win last Friday night under the lights at Home Park against promotion chasing Leicester City. Prior to their recent uptake in form, Argyle had lost five successive home matches without scoring a single goal before the timely sacking of Schumacher’s unsuccessful predecessor, Ian Foster.
In a turbulent season at Home Park, Argyle have for the most part entertained their loyal support, scoring 58 league goals at an average of 1.35 goals per match. Morgan Whittaker has scored 19 of these, currently placing him third in the division's goal scoring charts.
Much of Argyle’s success has come at home, having managed just three away wins all season, in comparison to their nine wins at home. Ironically, all three away wins have been in recent months since the departure of Steven Schumacher. Defensively, Argyle have struggled, shipping 66 goals all season at an average of 1.53 per match.
Matches involving Plymouth Argyle tend to involve plenty of goals, with 56% of their league games in 2023/24 seeing both teams score.
Prediction
There is likely to be strong emotion in this clash considering the high stakes, coupled with the recent history between the Stoke boss and his former employers.
Both sides have been involved in lots of close contests recently, whilst both generally have a goal in them, as they continue their quest to avoid the drop. Expect a tight affair again this weekend.