Currently sitting in 10th spot, Stoke can be pretty pleased with their effort in Mark Hughes’ first season in charge. The three games they won on the bounce before last weekend’s 3-0 loss away to Chelsea was their best run of form this season and the first time they had won three consecutive leagues games since November 2012. Key to their success and the main reason why they occupy a spot in the top 10 is their home form. They have only lost two games all season at the Britannia and are unbeaten in their last five, winning four of those. With a six point gap to make up on Newcastle who sit directly above them, the challenge for Hughes and his players is to finish as high as they possibly can, and 9th looks a realistic target.
This is the third weekend in a row that a Newcastle match has been previewed and it doesn’t get any better reading if you are a follower of the club. Their most recent humiliation came at the hands of Manchester United who inflicted their second consecutive 4-0 thrashing, following Southampton the week before. It’s now just one goal scored in their last five games, with 12 conceded. Their manager remains confined to the stands for yet another game and following his interview last weekend, looks completely bemused by his team’s alarming dip in performance. With matches against Swansea, Cardiff, Arsenal and Liverpool still to come, the Magpies could have an impact on the battle for survival, fourth place and the league title, but at the moment, it’s looking like it could be one of the easier games for all those sides in their run-in’s.
Peter Odemwingie only arrived at Stoke during the January transfer window in a swap for Kenwyne Jones but he has been a big success in his short time at the club. Five goals in 10 league games is a decent return for a side who have found scoring goals to be a problem in recent seasons. The Nigerian has formed an impressive partnership with Peter Crouch and the strike duo have been a key reason in Stoke’s improvement recently.
Central to Newcastle’s struggles infront of goal recently has been the absence of Loic Remy through injury. The French Internationalist has been missing since being injured in his country’s friendly match with Holland at the beginning of March. The Stoke game will be the sixth successive match he’s missed and it’s really taking its toll. He’s the only Newcastle player to have reached double figures this campaign and they have looked toothless in recent weeks without him.
Momentum is huge in football, particularly at this stage of the season when teams can have little to play for. Pardew admitted that motivating his players was difficult in the aftermath of the United defeat and it’s likely to be a similar story here. Without Remy they don’t have a real threat going forward whilst they are leaking goals for fun – home win.
Stoke 23/20 @ Ladbrokes
