Stoke City vs Ipswich Town Prediction: Both teams drew last game

Stoke City will welcome Ipswich Town at Bet365 Stadium in Game Week 26 of the English Championship. Both teams are coming on back of a draw in this game. Who will come out on top after 90 minutes?

Stoke City form

After the departure of Alex Neil, Stoke City appointed 39-year-old Schumacher as their permanent successor. Since then, Stoke City have performed well, earning four points from their last three Championship matches. Their most recent result was a 1-1 draw against Watford, where Jake Livermore opened the scoring for Watford but Ryan Mmaee equalized for Stoke City before half-time. Under Schumacher's leadership, Stoke City has moved up to 19th place in the Championship standings with 28 points from 25 games, giving them a seven-point lead over QPR who are in the relegation zone. However, Stoke City has struggled to win at home, failing to win any of their last five matches at the bet365 Stadium. They will face Ipswich on Monday, a team fighting for promotion. Stoke City's last home victory was against Leeds United on October 25, under Daniel Farke's leadership.

Stoke City Predicted Lineup

Bonham; Hoever, McNally, Rose, Thompson; Pearson, Burger, Vidigal, Bae, Haksabanovic; Mmaee

Ipswich Town form

Following a run of four consecutive victories in the Championship up until December 12, Ipswich Town's fortunes have taken a turn for the worse. They have not won in the past four games, culminating in a surprising 0-0 draw against QPR at Portman Road in their last match of 2023. The team, managed by Kiernan McKenna, has only managed to win one of their last five matches in the second-tier league. This has resulted in them falling eight points behind league leaders Leicester City and being only three points ahead of third-placed Southampton, who have an impressive 17-game unbeaten streak under the guidance of Russell Martin. Injuries to key players and a packed fixture schedule over the Christmas period have affected Ipswich's usual starting lineup. However, the necessary changes have given opportunities to players like Cameron Humphreys and Dominic Ball, although their inclusion has not helped the team secure maximum points yet. Ipswich has performed better at their home stadium, Portman Road, but they have also put up a good fight in away matches, earning 24 points from 12 outings in the second-tier league. This includes notable victories against Watford and Middlesbrough, managed by Michael Carrick, at the beginning of December.

Ipswich Town Predicted Lineup

Hladky; Williams, Woolfenden, Burgess, Humphreys; Taylor, Luongo, Hutchinson, Chaplin, Broadhead; Jackson

Stoke City vs Ipswich Town Expert Tips

Stoke City has shown remarkable improvement ever since Schumacher joined the team. However, their upcoming match against Ipswich poses the toughest challenge for Stoke under the guidance of the Liverpudlian manager. Ipswich, although experiencing a decline in performance as 2024 progresses, is still expected to perform well enough to secure all three points in Monday's game.