Stoke vs Everton 17/03/18

17 March 2018

Stoke’s nightmarish season continued last Monday with another miserable defeat, this time against the leaders Manchester City at home with two goals to nil, and if they want to stay in the top flight a win against Everton at the Bet365 Stadium is a must. The Potters have only one victory in the previous twelve games, and during that period they’ve lost six matches allowing Southampton, West Ham, and Huddersfield to move in front of them. On the other hand, the Toffies have lost six consecutive games away from the Goodison Park, and they have every intention to end the disastrous streak against the struggling home side. Although the Liverpool based club had big ambitions before the start of the season, now the European football seems miles away mainly thanks to uninspiring attacking performances. Paul Lambert is desperate to drive his team away from the relegation zone and considering Everton’s recent displays this could be the ideal opportunity, but another failure might lead to his dismissal.
The experienced midfielder, Stephen Ireland, is the only injured player in Stoke, while Sam Allardyce doesn’t have James McCarthy, Eliaquim Mangala, Maarten Stekelenburg, and the captain, Leighton Baines at his disposal, as all are sidelined by injuries.