- 斯托克城在四场锦标赛主场比赛中保持不败
- 三个陶工；最近四场主场联赛的进球数都低于1.5个
- 米德尔斯堡队连输五场
顽固的斯托克城队在主场表现稳健
斯托克城正危险地靠近锦标赛降级区，但他们在主场很难被击败，因为他们在*体育场（W2，D2）的最后四场联赛中没有输过任何一场，其中最后三场比赛是在马克·罗宾斯的带领下进行的。
当状态不佳的米德尔斯堡队来到这里时，波特队会希望他们有机会延续这一令人印象深刻的主场纪录，因为米堡队在反弹中输掉了五场比赛，不仅在附加赛中放慢了速度，而且进入了积分榜的下半部分。
Carrick上的压力越来越大
这种糟糕的状态给Boro老板Michael Carrick带来了压力，他可能无法在*体育场获得缓刑，因为他的球队在最近四次访问该场地的比赛中都没有获胜。
不过，这可能不是一场得分很高的比赛，斯托克城有三场比赛；在联赛的最后四场主场比赛中，米堡只进了一个球，而本赛季早些时候自由得分的米堡在过去的三场比赛中只进了两个球。
本赛季，斯托克城已经在本土以1比0击败了一支东北球队；12月底，桑德兰队以这样的比分击败了桑德兰队；他们可以在对阵Boro的比赛中重复这个把戏。
- Stoke are unbeaten in four Championship home matches
- Three of the Potters’ last four home league games have gone under 1.5 goals
- Middlesbrough are on a five-match losing streak
Stubborn Stoke solid at home
Stoke are sitting dangerously close to the Championship relegation zone but they have been hard to beat at home, as they have not lost any of their last four league games at the * Stadium (W2, D2), the last three of which have been under Mark Robins.
The Potters will fancy their chances of extending that impressive home record when out-of-sorts Middlesbrough come to town, as Boro have lost five matches on the bounce and slipped not only off the pace in the play-off race, but into the bottom half of the standings.
Pressure mounting on Carrick
That poor run of form has heaped pressure on Boro boss Michael Carrick and he may not get a reprieve at the * Stadium, as his side have failed to win on any of their last four visits to the venue.
This may not be a high-scoring contest though, with three of Stoke’s last four home games in the league featuring no more than one goal, while Boro, who had been free-scoring earlier in the season, have netted just two across their last three games.
Stoke have already beaten one north-east team 1-0 this season on home soil – seeing off Sunderland by that scoreline in late December – and they could repeat that trick against misfiring Boro.
