Stoke City

Another top versus bottom-half match-up on Sunday sees Stoke City host Sunderland.

The Black Cats, who are currently fourth in the Championship, got the better of the Potters a few weeks ago and Stoke have since parted ways with manager Narcis Pelach after their Boxing Day loss to league leaders Leeds left them languishing down in 19th.

• Stoke have lost one of their last seven home league games against Sunderland (W3 D3), losing 1-0 in 2022-23.

• Sunderland are looking to win three consecutive league games against Stoke City for the first time since a run of five between 1934 and 1936.

• Stoke are winless in their final league game of the calendar year in each of the last eight years (D3 L5) since winning 4-3 against Everton back in 2015.

• Sunderland are unbeaten in their final league game of the year in each of the last seven years (W4 D3) since they lost 4-1 to Burnley in 2016.

• Sunderland haven't lost any of their last nine league games against sides with 'City' in their name (W6 D3) since losing to last season's champions Leicester City in March.

Image source, Rex Features

Stoke City boss Narcis Pelach defended his latest change in tactics following the Boxing Day home defeat by Leeds United after seeing the Potters extend their winless run to nine matches.

Four points out of a possible 27 is the club's worst winless run in the league since taking only two points from their opening 10 games at the start of the 2019-20 season under Nathan Jones - and they were booed off by significant numbers of the fans still left in the ground at the final whistle.

The plummeting Potters now stand in 19th place in the Championship going into Sunday's home game with Sunderland - just three points outside the relegation zone.

And Pelach, who has won just three of his 18 league games in charge since succeeding the sacked Steven Schumacher in September, has been criticised by fans and the local media for simply making too many changes.

After deciding to operate with a back five to counter Leeds' attacking threat, Pelach told BBC Radio Stoke: "We chose the formation we thought would work best.

"It's a difficult game and we prepared the team to try to be resilient. A lot of teams who went with a back four against them were out of the game very early.

"They make you defend a lot. They have a lot of ball possession. And then if you press them high and you go late, they beat the press and then they have an open goal. But then, if you sit, it looks like you're not trying, and it's difficult.

"We tried in the first seven or eight minutes, and we were more there. We created a big chance with Lewis Koumas, which could have changed the night.

"This is what we need. In those little moments, you need to be punishing in order to beat Leeds. That's why not many teams come close to beating Leeds.

"It dropped off because of the quality Leeds have. You have ideas and try to implement them, but at the end of the day when the ball is there and there's a player in front of you that waits until you move and then finds a free player, it makes you drop."

A win on Boxing Day could see Leeds United top the Championship table if results go their way elsewhere.

Leeds are three points behind leaders Sheffield United but with a much healthier goal difference and they take on a Stoke City side with no wins in their last five games.

The Potters are 19th in the table and four points above the relegation zone.

• Stoke have won three of their last four home league games against Leeds, losing the other 3-0 in August 2019.

• Leeds have won three of their last four league games against Stoke, winning each game without conceding a goal (3-0 and 5-0 in 2019-20, 1-0 in March 2024).

• Stoke City have lost one of their last eight league games on Boxing Day (W4 D3), losing 2-0 away at Birmingham City in 2018.

• Leeds United have won three of their last 10 Boxing Day matches (D3 L4), winning those in three consecutive years between 2016 and 2018.

• Leeds manager Daniel Farke has lost his last three Boxing Day league matches, losing twice with Norwich (in 2019 vs. Aston Villa and 2020 vs. Watford) and last year with Leeds away at Preston.

Image source, Rex Features

Stoke boss Narcis Pelach has identified the midfield as a key area that his side need to improve in order to win more matches.

The Potters have only claimed victory in five of their 22 Championship matches this season to find themselves in the bottom six heading into Christmas.

"We have to win more duels in the middle of the pitch, which we have lost a lot of in recent games. Not just duels but second balls as well," Pelach told BBC Radio Stoke.

"We lost physicality here with injuries, with Bosun Lawal and Ben Pearson.

"We have players in the midfield that are technical but not that physical and this is why we've won less battles basically."

Pearson suffered a set-back in his return from a long-term hamstring injury, while Lawal made the trip to Hillsborough on Saturday after back issues kept him out of training but was left on the bench.

With injuries impacting squad selection, Pelach says the answer to their midfield struggles may be in recruitment.

"We need to put on the pitch players who win more duels and if we don't win enough, we will need to go in January and in the summer and find players who can," Pelach added.

"We talk about talent but you don't see the talent.

"There's a level of fight in the Championship that you have to meet and now at the minute, we need to improve this."

Image source, Rex Features

Saturday's 2-0 defeat at ten-man Sheffield Wednesday means it's now no win in eight matches for Stoke and boss Narcis Pelach.

"It's a hard one to take. You expect to win when they are down to 10 men," Pelach told BBC Radio Stoke.

"We defended badly (on both goals) – we shot ourselves in the foot. We have to be much more aggressive because we have more numbers than them in the box, it cannot end in a goal, it's unacceptable.

"In the first half I think we were more pragmatic, aggressive, won many more duels and second balls which is what I demand from the team. The first 45 minutes are good.

"There were some decisions which changed the game in big moments. Lewis Koumas was one v one with the keeper and was (given) offside when he was not and the two penalties (not awarded), Bannan and Lewis Koumas, this is unacceptable, but it is what it is at the moment."

Sheffield Wednesday have won five of their past six away games to climb up to ninth in the table, but they return to Hillsborough on Saturday, where they have won just one of their past seven matches.

Visitors Stoke are winless in their past seven games and have just one victory in eight on their travels, albeit an eye-catching 2-0 success at Blackburn on 6 November.

The Potters have slipped to 17th, just five points above the relegation zone.

• Sheffield Wednesday have lost just two of their last 12 league games against Stoke City (W4 D6), though five of their past six home matches in that spell have finished in draws.

• Stoke have failed to win any of their last four league games against sides from Yorkshire (D2 L2) last enduring a longer run of seven games between February and October 2019, which included a 1-0 away loss to Wednesday.

• Wednesday have failed to win any of their past three home league games (D2 L1) and could record their second 4+ matches winless run at Hillsborough in 2024.

• Stoke have failed to win any of their last seven league games (D4 L3), conceding exactly two goals in each of their past four matches.

• In the Championship this season, Stoke have faced the most shots (345), while only Plymouth (121) and Luton (115) have faced more shots on target than the Potters.

Image source, Getty Images

Stoke City head coach Narcis Pelach said he was "angry and disappointed" at how his side lost "way too many" duels in the 2-2 draw with Cardiff.

Andrew Moran put the Potters ahead, but the visitors equalised before the break and then went ahead through Ben Gibson's own goal.

Stoke rescued a point deep into stoppage time with Gibson making amends by heading home the equaliser, but Pelach was "really unhappy" with the performance.

"I'm not pleased at all with what I've seen," Pelach told BBC Radio Stoke.

"You cannot compete in the Championship with this level of duels and second balls. We lost too many throughout the whole game. We need to win the ball back.

"The ball is 50-50 and we need to have the right level of energy for winning it and then you have a chance.

"But if you don't win duels and second balls in this league, it's impossible. So, really disappointed with this performance.

"We save a point at the end with the set-play goal but we have to be much more mature and we have to compete much better than this."

Pelach said the players were aware of his frustration with the result which left Stoke 17th in the table, five points above the drop zone.

"I expressed that unhappiness to the team that if we don't compete much better than that, we don't have a chance in this league," he added.

Listen to Narcis Pelach's post-match interview on BBC Sounds.

Image source, Rex Features

Stoke City boss Narcis Pelach says his side need to keep positive after a string of tight games has seen them on a three match losing streak.

The second half seems particularly tricky for the Potters, who have conceded almost double the number of goals after the half-time whistle as in the first half, with just nine before and 17 after the break in 20 Championship games so far.

Ahead of Cardiff City's visit on Saturday, Pelach told his players they cannot dwell on their past results.

"We cannot feel sorry for ourselves - I don't want this in my game - so we need to get over ourselves," Pelach told BBC Radio Stoke.

"Sometimes through losses, you can find opportunities to learn and improve things for the future. And this is what I'm doing."

Stoke's average age for their matchday squads is the second youngest in the Championship behind only Sunderland.

And while the Potters manager knows his side lack seasoned veterans, he believes that his own experience as a young manager at 36 proves they can still compete.

"I've had to fight for everything in my life. I'm used to fighting, nothing has come easy," Pelach added.

"My mentality is there, I know how to live this profession and I want to explain this to my players as well.

"We can be young. I just want courage, I want passion, I want love and I want energy. Step by step, I'm sure we will get there."

Image source, PRESSBOX GRAPHICS

Stoke City boss Narcis Pelach posted a social media message to fans this week after they lost a third game on the spin with the Potters 18th and just four points above the bottom three.

Cardiff City occupy one of those positions are on a six-game winless streak with Omer Riza demanding a reaction following the midweek defeat to Preston North End.

• Stoke City have failed to win any of their past eight league games against Cardiff City (D5 L3) since a 2-0 home win in February 2020.

• Cardiff are unbeaten in their past four away league games against Stoke (W1 D3), with each of the past three ending in a draw.

• Stoke have won just one of their past six home league games (D4 L1) and could fail to score in three successive such games for the first time since December 2023.

• Cardiff are winless in 11 successive away league games (D5 L6); their longest such run since November 2014; they last endured a longer such run in March 2014 as a Premier League side (13 games).

• Cardiff have shipped 37 away league goals in 2024, their most in a single year since 2019 (also 37), last conceding more back in 2014 (41).