Stoke City will continue their preparation for the 2022-23 campaign with a pre-season friendly against League One side Accrington Stanley on Wednesday.
Michael O’Neill’s side beat Cork City 2-0 on Saturday in their first friendly of the Summer, while Accrington Stanley have gone head to head with Crystal Palace and Blackburn Rovers in their two pre-season friendlies.
Accrington finished the 2021-22 campaign in 12th place, which means that they will once again play in the third tier of English football next season, and it has been a busy summer in terms of incomings and outgoings so far.
Lukas Jensen, Shaun Whaley, Mo Sangare and Matt Lowe have arrived at the club, while five players have departed, including central defender Ross Sykes, who moved to Belgium.
John Coleman’s side kicked off their preparations for the 2022-23 campaign with a 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace at the beginning of the month before playing two 60-minute matches against Blackburn on Saturday, and they now have four more friendlies to come this summer.
After the fixture with Stoke, Accrington will take on Preston North End and Wigan Athletic before playing their final pre-season match against Sunderland on July 23, after which they will open their League One campaign at home to Charlton Athletic on July 30.
Meanwhile, Stoke City played their first friendly of the summer on Saturday, recording a 2-0 victory over Cork City, with D’Margio Wright-Phillips and Jacob Brown on the scoresheet.
Summer arrivals Harry Clarke, Josh Laurent and Aden Flint all started against Cork City, and they now have four more pre-season contests before facing Millwall in their Championship opener on July 30.
Stoke will face Fleetwood Town, Bristol Rovers and Hearts in their three subsequent matches, and O’Neill will hope to have more new faces arrive at the club before the end of the month.
Accrington Stanley vs Stoke City head to head
The two teams have not previously met on any occasion and this will be the first time they meet in a club friendly match.
Acrrington Stanley latest home form
Accrington Stanley have recently been on a relatively good run of form at home, having lost just one of their five most recent matches. They defeated Lincoln City 2-1 in their last home game in League One. In their last five matches, they have scored nine goals and conceded eight.
Accrington Stanley 2-1 Charlton Athletic 12/03/22
Accrington Stanley 1-2 Gillingham 26/03/22
Accrington Stanley 4-4 Cheltenham Town 02/04/22
Accrington Stanley 0-0 Burton Albion 15/04/22
Accrington Stanley 2-1 Lincoln City 23/04/22
Accrington Stanley latest away form
Accrington Stanley have recently kept a patchy run of form on the road, having won just two of their five most recent matches. They drew 1-1 with Crystal Palace in their last away game in a friendly. In their last five matches, they have scored eight goals and conceded 11.
Wigan Athletic 3-0 Accrington Stanley 05/04/22
Fleetwood Town 1-2 Accrington Stanley 09/04/22
Bolton Wanderers 3-1 Accrington Stanley 18/04/22
AFC Wimbledon 3-4 Accrington Stanley 30/04/22
Crystal Palace 1-1 Accrington Stanley 02/07/22
Stoke City latest home form
Stoke City have recently been on a relatively good run of form at home, having lost just one of their five most recent matches. They drew 1-1 with Coventry City in their last home game in the Championship. In their last five matches, they have scored five goals and conceded two.
Stoke City 2-0 Millwall 19/03/22
Stoke City 1-0 Sheffield United 02/04/22
Stoke City 0-1 Bristol City 15/04/22
Stoke City 1-0 Queens Park Rangers 23/04/22
Stoke City 1-1 Coventry City 07/05/22
Stoke City latest away form
Stoke City have recently kept a patchy run of form on the road, having lost three of their six most recent matches. They managed to defeat Cork City 2-0 in their last away game in a friendly. In their last five matches, they have scored eight goals and conceded six.
Reading 2-1 Stoke City 05/04/22
West Bromwich Albion 1-3 Stoke City 09/04/22
Blackburn Rovers 0-1 Stoke City 18/04/22
Middlesbrough 3-1 Stoke City 30/04/22
Cork City 0-2 Stoke City 09/07/22
Accrington Stanley news
Lukas Jensen is expected to start between the posts for the hosts here, while it is also likely that some of the players on trial will also feature here.
Another new signing Walley could start in the final third of the field, while Sean McConville is likely to earn a spot.
Stoke City news
O’Neill is again likely to start with a 3-5-2 formation, with new arrivals Laurent, Flint and Clarke all potentially keeping their places in the starting XI.
Jack Bonham and Kilkenny could potentially come into the side, while Tom Sparrow and Jordan Thompson will also be pushing to be included in the squad.
Prediction and Odds
Accrington showcased impressive performances against Crystal Palace and Blackburn this summer, and they will certainly be competitive opposition for Stoke in this contest.
We are expecting a tight contest but believe that the visitors’ superior quality will come through at some point of the game and allow them claim victory.
Odds: 1 2.32 X 2.10 2 2.15
Probable outcomes
Accrington Stanley 0-1 Stoke City
Accrington Stanley 0-2 Stoke City
Accrington Stanley 1-2 Stoke City
Accrington Stanley 1-3 Stoke City
Accrington Stanley 1-1 Stoke City
