“Alarming rate” – Sky Sports pundit issues worrying prediction for Stoke City ahead of Sheffield Wednesday.

Sheffield Wednesday take on Stoke City in the Championship at Hillsborough on Saturday, and analyst Don Goodman believes the Owls will get all three points.

Wednesday have made significant improvement under Danny Rohl, including a 3-1 victory over Oxford United at the Kassam Stadium on Saturday. They nearly avoided relegation last season.

Josh Windass, Jamal Lowe, and Djeidi Gassama scored to turn the game around for the Owls after Greg Leigh handed the hosts a 17th-minute lead, and the win took them up to ninth position in the standings, only five points from the play-offs.

The build-up to Saturday’s game has been dominated by speculation about Rohl’s future. Reports have emerged linking him with the vacant managerial position at Southampton following Russell Martin’s sacking, and it has also been claimed that he is under consideration by German second division side Hamburg as a possible replacement for Steffen Baumgart.

Stoke supporters have raised concerns over head coach Narcis Pelach, who has only won three of his 17 games since taking over from Steven Schumacher in mid-September.

Ben Gibson’s stoppage-time goal earned the Potters a point in their 2-2 draw with Cardiff City at the bet365 Stadium on Saturday, but they are now winless in their past seven games.

Pelach maintains he can turn Stoke’s fortunes around, but with the team presently 17th in the standings, only five points above the relegation zone, worries of another survival struggle grow.

Don Goodman’s Sheffield Wednesday vs. Stoke City prediction

Goodman, speaking via CoinPoker, stated that Wednesday’s dismal recent home form has given him reservations about Saturday’s result, but he still believes the Owls will win against Stoke.

“Wednesday have struggled recently, losing their last home game 1-0 to Blackburn.” I was astonished to learn that they had only won one of their past seven games at Hillsborough, a 2-0 victory over Norwich. “It’s difficult to be too confident that they’ll beat Stoke City,” Goodman remarked.

“However, the Potters are on a seven-game winless streak and are conceding goals and chances at an alarming rate.” As a result, I’ll have to go for a home win.”

Narcis Pelach can afford another Stoke City defeat on Saturday.

According to Goodman, Wednesday has only won one of their past seven home games and scored only six goals. They will need to considerably improve to get all three points on Saturday.

However, with Stoke’s terrible run of form under Pelach continuing, they might be ideal opponents for the Owls, and the Spaniard will be aware that he must deliver results swiftly to preserve his job at the bet365 Stadium.

 

It is tough to imagine the Potters getting much out of their games against Leeds United, Sunderland, and Burnley during the holiday season, so this weekend is critical for Pelach, and he absolutely must lose.