On Wednesday night, relegation-threatened Stoke City host Watford at the Bet365 Stadium, as the home side look to move away from the relegation zone.
Stoke are currently 17th place in the Premier League table, just a point outside of the relegation zone. However, it seems the appointment of new boss Paul Lambert may turn their fortunes around.
A 2-0 win over Huddersfield in Lambert’s first game in charge ended a three-game losing streak for the team from Staffordshire. The win also saw the Potters end a three-game goal drought in the Premier League.
Ironically, the victory also saw the home side keep a first clean sheet in the Premier League since the reverse fixture between these two sides back in October.
Stoke’s recent home record has been inconsistent, as they have won three and lost three of their last six home games in the Premier League. The Potters have kept just one clean sheet in the English top-flight since August, which came in their last home outing.
Watford arrives in the Potteries on the back of a poor run of results. The Hornets suffered a 1-0 defeat at Southampton in the FA Cup at the weekend, which means they have now won just two of their last 13 games in all competitions.
One of the Hornets main problems of late has been that they been conceding goals at an alarming, as the visitors have conceded at least two goals in their last four Premier League games. The Hornets have not kept a clean sheet in the league since November.
The visitors have also won just one of their last nine away games in the league, losing their last five league games on their travels. Everybody connected with the club will be hoping that the arrival of Javi Gracia will help turn fortunes around.
Forebet predicts that Stoke will make it two wins from two games under new boss Lambert and pull the Staffordshire further away from the drop zone.