Stoke City begin a new era this weekend, with the arrival of new boss Stephan Schumacher, who comes from fellow Championship side Plymouth. He lands with a big game to start, as we head into the weekend, Stoke are in 19th position, one point ahead of 20th placed Millwall, who are the visitors on Saturday afternoon.
Stoke City Form GuideI get the feeling it's a big few weeks for Stoke. They're much better than what we have seen from them, the players just didn't fire for Alex Neil this year. Now, Stephan Schumacher is in charge, it's his turn to make them play, and he's got the credentials to make that happen for sure, especially as he has the January transfer window on the horizon.
Stoke have drawn their last two games, both coming without a manager, and while there's still plenty more to sort out, it is a step in the right direction for them. They've drawn 1-1 away at West Brom, a side going well, and 1-1 away at Swansea, a side not going so well.
Millwall Form GuideJust as much as it's been a disappointing season so far for Stoke, the exact same can be said for Millwall. They came close to the playoffs last season, and now we're seeing them floating above the relegation zone. A team capable of much better, if they can work out a better way forward.
You have to go back to the start of November to find the last time Millwall won a game, which was a big 4-0 success away at Sheffield Wednesday, who at the time, were in a terrible state. Since then it has been six games, four defeats and just two draws, a fair representation of what they've done so far.
Match PredictionI'm going to give Stoke a chance here. I think they are way better than what we've seen recently. Something wasn't right, and I'm backing the managerial change to work from the off, so it's a Stoke win on Saturday.
