Stoke play host in the Championship on Saturday as they welcome promotion hopefuls Brentford to the Bet365 Stadium – here is all the key information you need to know about the game ahead of kick-off.
The two sides will enter the game on the back end of two contrasting seasons, however, the match could have a huge impact on the table.
Stoke City have failed to get going throughout the entirety of the campaign and find themselves sitting in 17th and still yet to confirm safety from the drop zone although it is unlikely they will be playing League One football next season.
The Potters battled back from behind in their last outing to see out a rather uneventful 1-1 draw with Bristol City on Wednesday.
Michael O’Neill saw his side fall behind just before the break as Filip Benkovic netted in added time, however, his side found the character to get themselves back on equal terms through Danny Batth who scored in the 64th minute.
Stoke will have to rediscover some form and be at their best if they are to get anything out of a Brentford side who have shown a relentless attitude on their journey for promotion.
The Bee’s have a chance to jump into the automatic promotion places with three points, an opportunity they will not want to fly away.
Thomas Frank will hope that his side are able to inflict their vicious sting on another victim to boost the chances of Premier League football next season.
The London side who will wave goodbye to Griffin Park at the end of the season managed to pick up a crucial win in their last match, however, it was not a straightforward one.
Ollie Watkins netted early on against Preston North End in the 4th minute of play which proved to be the winner.
I think Brentford will be leaving Stoke with a spring in their step after sweeping their opponents aside.
The incredible talent that they have in all areas of the pitch will be too much for Stoke to handle, a shaky defence will be up against one of the most formidable attacking line-ups in the league so it is looking like a long 90 minutes for the Potters backline.
Match Preview written by Liam Rice
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