‘It pains me’ – David Prutton makes worrying Stoke City prediction ahead of Derby County clash

‘It pains me’ – David Prutton makes worrying Stoke City prediction ahead of Derby County clash

Stoke City have been dragged back into the Championship relegation scrap following back-to-back defeats to Leeds United and Sheffield United, with the Potters just two points clear of the drop.

A trip to Derby County’s Pride Park Stadium awaits them on Saturday, the side sat directly below them in the table, with Mark Robins looking to topple John Eustace again.

The two sides faced off back in November at the bet365 Stadium while Narcis Pelach was in charge of the Potters and Paul Warne led the Rams forward, with the home side on the day picking up all three points in a 2-1 win thanks to a late Ben Gibson header.

However, Stoke go into Saturday’s clash on a poor run of form, having conceded eight goals without finding the back of the net themselves in their last two matches while Derby have won back-to-back matches.

With the relegation battle so tight, Eustace, Robins and supporters of both sides will nervously be checking scores elsewhere throughout the 90 minutes as they look to maintain their Championship status.

David Prutton predicts Stoke City to lose to Derby County

The pressure is more on Derby than it is Stoke this weekend to go and get a win, with the Rams knowing that they are just a point above the drop and level with Preston North End and Luton Town.

However, Pride Park can be a very formidable ground to go to, especially when it is filled with over 30,000 home fans and Robins will be up against it as Eustace looks to better Wayne Rooney’s survival bid in 2022, when the East Midlands outfit were deducted 21 points.

The Potters have not beaten Derby away from home in the league since 2007, and if history follows the same path, they could be in danger if they are beaten once again.

It’s a situation that Sky Sports’ David Prutton believes could happen, and he has gone one further to predict that Stoke will go down on Saturday.

Speaking on Sky Sports’ Essential EFL podcast, Prutton said: “Derby to win 1-0.”

The ex-Nottingham Forest player’s other predictions led him to sway towards the Potters going down after backing Hull City and Luton to win this weekend, while he also believes that Preston will get a point against Bristol City.

“All of these are such a toss of a coin, aren’t they? It’s a staggering position that all these teams find themselves in. So, it pains me to do this because I’ve seen all these teams first hand.

“I’ve seen all the men who look after these teams and they’re all wonderful, wonderful people,” Prutton concluded.

An early Derby County goal against Stoke City will mount pressure on Mark Robins

The Potters have to go into the game with the sole aim of winning it, as they cannot afford to rest on their laurels and try and pick up a point that will hand them survival.

Derby are a side that are dangerous from set-pieces, and few have been able to deal with their aerial threat and Stoke will expect a barrage if they do decide to sit back and try and take a draw.

Eustace is not a manager who will be happy to watch a game play out and his Rams side will be more than up for the challenge, especially with so many other games able to impact their chances of staying in the Championship.

Pride Park will be hostile for the visitors, and an early goal in the home team’s favour will be a huge source of worry for those in red-and-white on Saturday as the fight for survival goes down to the wire.

Get more related news on: https://sportviewers.com