The bet365 Stadium is the location for an Easter Monday Championship bottom-half scrap, as Stoke City pit their wits against relegation-threatened Huddersfield Town.
The Potters ran out 2-0 victors on Hull City's turf on a particularly Good Friday, although festive joy is limited in the Terriers' ranks owing to a 3-1 home loss to Coventry City.
Match preview
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The month of March followed a particular pattern for Steven Schumacher's Stoke City, who have strung together a loss-win sequence in their last six Championship matches, beating Middlesbrough and Preston North End either side of pre-international break losses to Leeds United and Norwich City.
The two-week reset worked wonders for the Potters, though, as they quelled playoff hopefuls Hull with two second-half goals at the MKM Stadium, where Josh Laurent drew first blood in the 69th minute before Ki-Jana Hoever's injury-time effort put the result beyond doubt.
With a respectable nine points gleaned from the last 18 on offer in the second tier, the hosts' Championship status remains firmly in their own hands as they reside in 17th place in the rankings, five points better off than their upcoming foes in the relegation zone.
Not all Stoke fans reacted pleasantly when Friday's lineup was announced, but several were more than happy to eat their words as Schumacher's formula paid dividends during the two-goal success, after which the ex-Plymouth Argyle boss quickly turned his thoughts to Monday's bottom-half showdown, with good reason too.
Indeed, Stoke only have two victories under their belts from their last 12 home fixtures in the Championship and have alarmingly failed to score in eight of those contests, while both of Schumacher's Easter Monday matches in charge of Plymouth also saw the Pilgrims register no goals in either of them.
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However, both Schumacher and Stoke have been gifted a prime opportunity to end their respective hoodoos against a free-falling Huddersfield crop, who were condemned to their third loss in four second-tier matches when Coventry arrived at the John Smith's Stadium on March 29.
Ellis Simms bagged a brace within the first quarter of the match before Rhys Healey's second-half effort offered the Terriers a flicker of hope, which was extinguished deep into injury time by virtue of Haji Wright's 14th strike of the Championship campaign.
After taking maximum points from his opening game in charge of Huddersfield, newly-appointed head coach Andre Breitenreiter has only gleaned two from the last 15 on offer, a dampening streak which leaves the visitors below the relegation line in 22nd with seven games remaining.
Only an inferior goal difference is keeping Huddersfield adrift of Birmingham City, though, while Plymouth and Blackburn Rovers are also within the Terriers' reach, offering encouragement to a visiting side who now bid to snap a two-game run without a goal on the road.
Stoke were held to a 2-2 stalemate by their upcoming opponents in September, in what was Neil Warnock's last game in charge of Huddersfield, but the Terriers have been beaten in each of their last three games at the bet365 Stadium since Danny Cowley masterminded a 1-0 triumph in 2019.
Team News
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Prior to putting Hull to the sword, Stoke were dealt a painful double flow over their pair of hamstring victims - Ben Pearson and Lynden Gooch - who might miss the remainder of the season with the injuries they picked up in the recent loss to Norwich.
Junior Tchamadeu is ahead of schedule in his recuperation from an ankle injury but will not return just yet, although Wouter Burger has served his two-game suspension and is available for selection once more.
The 23-year-old's efforts to force his way back into the Potters' first XI may prove futile, though, as unless jellied legs force Schumacher's hand, all 11 starters from the impressive beating of Hull ought to be rewarded.
As for Huddersfield Town, Stoke-owned defender Tom Edwards cannot face his parent club this weekend, but the 25-year-old was only an unused substitute in the loss to Coventry and has made just six Championship starts all season long.
Edwards's absence complicates Huddersfield's defensive dilemma, though, as Radinio Balker picked up a leg injury last time out, so Brodie Spencer might have to deputise in a central role on Monday.
On a brighter note, influential attacker Sorba Thomas - who was sent off for two bookable offences in the recent draw with Rotherham United - has served his suspension and should earn an immediate recall to the Terriers' XI, but Kian Harratt is serving a lengthy betting ban.
Tom Lees (calf), Oliver Turton (ACL), Josh Ruffels (groin) and Yuta Nakayama (knee) are still not available to Breitenreiter, who hailed the performance of his substitutes in the Good Friday defeat and may see fit to promote Healey and Ben Wiles - who combined for the Terriers' consolation - to the XI too.
Stoke City possible starting lineup:
Iversen; Hoever, McNally, Rose, Stevens; Leris, Thompson, Cundle, Haksabanovic; Laurent, Mmaee
Huddersfield Town possible starting lineup:
Nicholls; Spencer, Pearson, Helik; Wiles, Rudoni, Matos, Hogg, Headley; Thomas, Healey
We say: Stoke City 2-1 Huddersfield Town
The praiseworthy performances of Huddersfield's substitutes on Good Friday was a rare positive for Breitenreiter, and the fresh legs of the Terriers' replacements - as well as nine-assist man Thomas - should ask a few questions of the Potters' backline.
However, Schumacher's men are riding the crest of a wave, and despite their lacklustre attacking displays at home in recent months, the hosts have our backing to capitalise on Huddersfield's rearguard woes and increase their lead over the dreaded drop zone.
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Ben Knapton
