By Ronnie Macdonald from Chelmsford, United Kingdom – Stoke City FC V Arsenal 09, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12753260
Stoke sit bottom of the table following their fourth straight defeat but if there’s any consolation for the fans it’s that they failed to win any of their first six games last year. What’s a greater worry is the manor of defeats as a club that use to pride themselves on robust defending has all of a sudden forgotten how to do it. With a trip to Old Trafford perhaps the only daunting fixture until mid-December, there is an opportunity to turn their fortunes around but unless they act quickly they risk missing out.
The Potters have shipped four goals in three of their last four games so will look for some reprieve with the visit of West Brom. The Baggies netted four times at the
Hawthorns last weekend, but they aren’t the most prolific scorers, especially away from home. They’ve never scored more than twice in their 30 road games since Tony Pulis took charge with 21 of these seeing fewer than three strikes and both teams scoring in just 11.
Last term, Stoke went a modest W4-D2-L4 against bottom-half finishers at home with their four victories at the expense of the relegated sides and new boys Bournemouth. Meanwhile, The Albion have lost just 11 of their 30 road games under Pulis with six of those at the hands of top-six sides. Outside the top-six their record reads W6-D10-L5. Pulis will fancy nicking all three points against his former club as he’s done in his four encounters since leaving the Britannia and in his last five meetings with Mark Hughes. However, West Brom don’t win many on the road so we’ll cover the draw.
Best Bet: West Brom Draw No Bet at 2.2
Match Specials
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