Stoke City desperately need points on Saturday, Jan 30 at 4:00 PM in the Championship. With the team sitting in the bottom three, this is quickly becoming a must-win situation.

Stoke City come into this fixture out of form (0W 2L recently). Portsmouth, meanwhile, arrive in mixed form (1W 0D 1L) — actually the better-performing side in recent weeks. Stoke City head into this on the back of a defeat, while Portsmouth arrive off a win — momentum clearly with the visitors.

Head-to-head records offer little separation — Stoke City and Portsmouth have split their 10 meetings almost evenly (5W–1D–4W). Their last encounter ended in Portsmouth won 3–1. These two tend to produce goals — averaging 3.8 per game in recent meetings.

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