Stoke City desperately need points on Wednesday, Feb 17 at 8:45 PM in the Championship. With the team sitting in the bottom three, this is quickly becoming a must-win situation.

Middlesbrough come into this fixture in mixed form (1W 0D 1L). Stoke City travel out of form (0W 2L recently), which may hand the initiative to the hosts.

Head-to-head records offer little separation — Middlesbrough and Stoke City have split their 10 meetings almost evenly (4W–3D–3W). Their last encounter ended in Stoke City won 1–2. These two tend to produce goals — averaging 2.8 per game in recent meetings.

Verdict: This looks an evenly matched contest. Home advantage gives Middlesbrough a slight edge, but Stoke City are capable of causing problems. A draw would be a fair result.