Premier League preview and odds: Stoke City vs Middlesbrough

Published on: 03/03/2017

Premier League preview and odds: Stoke City vs Middlesbrough

March 04, 2017 15:00 pm - Bet365 Stadium

Premier League

Stoke City will look to extend their unbeaten home record to eight games when they take on relegation candidates Middlesbrough at the Bet365 Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The visitors themselves are without a win in nine Premier League matches.

Stoke targeting top 10 finish

Stoke City continue to be hard to beat on home soil, having lost just one game at the Bet365 Stadium since September. They come into this game on the back of a seven-game unbeaten run at home, although they did draw four of those games.

Mark Hughes` men have finished in ninth place three seasons in a row and are currently just one point and one place shy of that benchmark. Last time out, they fell to a 4-0 defeat away to Tottenham Hotspur.

Meanwhile, Middlesbrough are facing a struggle to maintain their Premier League status after a run of nine games without a win has left them just one place above the drop zone thanks to superior goal difference.

Boro have failed to win any of their last Premier League 12 games on the road and have only scored one goal in their last six. Eight of their last 10 away games have produced less than 2.5 goals. What`s more, eight of their away games this season have finished 0-0 at halftime.

Team news

The home side will have to make do without the injured trio of Jonathan Walters (knee inflammation), Jack Butland (ankle) and Stephen Ireland (double leg fracture), while Xherdan Shaqiri (calf strain) is a doubt.

Meanwhile, Calum Chambers (foot), George Friend (calf) and Antonio Barragan (hamstring strain) are all doubtful for the visitors..

Recent form (League)

Stoke City: LWLDD

Middlesbrough: LDLDL

Betting odds and tips

Middlesbrough have the fifth-best defence in the league and could frustrate Stoke City this weekend. However, with Boro struggling for goals on the road, the home side can be expected to prevail.

In the Halftime/Fulltime market you can back Draw/Stoke City at 15/4 with Bet365. You can also back Stoke/Under 2.5 at 29/10.

By Neil Morris

Published on: 03/03/2017

Any odds displayed within this preview were correct at the time of publishing (03/03/2017 14:13:10) but are subject to change.