Stoke City vs Norwich City Prediction: Norwich find themselves with an injury scare

When Norwich City visits the bet365 Stadium in the Championship on Saturday afternoon, Stoke City will aim to maintain their recent impressive performance. The Potters have managed to grab points from some formidable opponents in the league in the last three games. Meanwhile, Norwich City has experienced a setback in their pursuit of a top-six finish.

Stoke City’s Form

Following their FA Cup defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion in February, Stoke has achieved some remarkable results in the league, notably their 5-1 victory against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. Although Alex Neil's team has left it too late to make a push for the playoffs, they have still managed to influence the league's top end by taking points off the likes of Blackburn Rovers, Middlesbrough, and Black Cats in their last three games. Ki-Jana Hoever, the right-back, scored the equalizer against Michael Carrick's team at the Riverside on Tuesday night, securing a point for the visitors after Chuba Akpom had opened the scoring. Stoke has earned seven points in their last three matches, propelling them to 14th in the Championship standings, with only five points separating them from 12th-placed Sunderland. This achievement suggests that a top-half finish, which they have not achieved since being relegated from the Premier League in 2018, is attainable. Surprisingly, Stoke has performed better on their travels than at their home ground, the bet365 stadium, this year, with only 22 of their 47 points being secured there. Dwight Gayle and William Smallbone may have an opportunity to improve this record by scoring goals for the team in their upcoming match on Saturday.

Stoke City’s possible starting lineup

Bonham; Hoever, Tuanzebe, Wilmot, Sterling; Pearson, Laurent, Brown, Smallbone, Campbell; Gayle

Norwich City’s Form

In February, Norwich was enjoying a five-game unbeaten streak that saw them earn 13 points, indicating that their promotion campaign under David Wagner's new leadership was back on track. However, as is often the case in the Championship, adversity struck. In their last two matches, the team managed only one point, losing to Sunderland and drawing with Huddersfield Town. Despite dominating possession and creating most of the chances in the latter game, a second-half own goal cancelled out their lead, resulting in a frustrating draw. Meanwhile, playoff contenders Luton Town and Millwall secured successive victories, pushing Norwich back to seventh place, four points behind Millwall. Unlike the smooth Championship titles of the past four years, Norwich may have to navigate a more challenging path if they hope to secure promotion this season.

Norwich City’s predicted lineup

Gunn; Aarons, Hanley, Omobamidele, Giannoulis; McLean, Tzolis, Sorensen, Sara, Sargent; Pukki

Stoke City vs Norwich City expert tips

On Saturday, Stoke will host Norwich at the bet365 Stadium as they endure a challenging stretch of fixtures. However, Stoke is likely to extend their unbeaten streak to four games due to their impressive recent performances. Norwich, on the other hand, had a disappointing outcome in their previous match against Huddersfield, where they suffered further injury setbacks, and this could affect their performance this weekend. Our prediction for the match is a victory for Stoke City over Norwich City with a total of fewer than 2.5 goals.