Stoke vs Bristol City Prediction: Thriller in Championship dead rubber?

Not a fixture to get the neutral’s heart racing on the final day of the Championship season, but Stoke City host Bristol City (12:30), hoping to end this turbulent season with some positivity, and register three wins on the bounce for the first time since October.

There were serious relegation concerns around the Potteries for the majority of the campaign, but Steven Schumacher has come in and got them over the line, with glimpses of progression towards the end of the 2023/24 season. Bristol City have already guaranteed themselves a top-half finish, and will also hope to push on next year under Liam Manning. Here’s my Stoke vs Bristol City prediction on the final day.

Team News

I’m expecting an unchanged team from Schumacher after two wins, and two clean sheets on the bounce. That means we are likely to see Daniel Iversen in goal behind a back four of Ki-Jana Hoever, Enda Stevens, Luke McNally and Ben Wilmot. Jordan Thompson, Josh Laurent and Luke Cundle should play in midfield as Bae Jun-ho and Million Manhoef flank Tyrese Campbell. Sol Sidibe was back on the bench on the south coast and could feature here after his injury. 

Meanwhile Bristol City could see Joe Williams pull on the red shirt for the final time, as after an impressive season his contract is up in the summer. He’s been offered a new deal by the club, but is yet to put pen to paper. Burnley loanee Scott Twine found the net against Rotherham and would also be welcomed back to Ashton Gate, but his future depends on Burnley’s survival prospects in the top flight. Matty James, Andy King and Andi Weimann could also make their farewell appearances.

Match Odds

Stoke are priced at 19/20 to win this game, giving them a win probability of 51%. Meanwhile, Bristol City are priced at 5/2, and a draw can be backed at 23/10. BTTS can be backed at 8/11 over 2.5 goals is 5/6. 

Stoke to win @ 19/20

Straight after the 1-0 win over Southampton that secured Stoke’s survival, Schumacher set his players the challenge of ending the season with three wins in a row. The 3-0 win over Plymouth was impressive given the pressure the Potters were under at the time, but arguably the away win over promotion hopefuls Southampton was more eye-catching. 

Saints have killed teams at home this season, yet Stoke looked like they had finally found their rhythm. With a settled XI for the first time under the former Plymouth boss, I can see them making it three wins on the bounce. Bristol City haven’t lost in some time, and are unbeaten in seven, but they’ve also only had one convincing win during that spell. I think this resurgent Stoke side will edge it in what could be an entertaining encounter. 

Over 4.5 goals @ 5/1

I’ll admit, this one is based less on statistics and more on vibes. A final day flutter if you will. We tend to find that the games with nothing riding on them on the final day tend to be more entertaining. Instead of a dull affair, teams tend to go for it a bit more. 

Players play with freedom knowing they are just 90 minutes away from a cocktail in the Caribbean. Why not take that shot from long range? The manager will want you to have a go anyway! We’ve also got a decent amount of attacking talent on show in the form of Tommy Conway, Nahki Wells, Twine, Bae Jun-ho and Campbell. Between these two attacks, we should see a healthy dose of goals to bring a smile to those hardy souls attending this match. 

Sit back and watch the goals roll in. 

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