Barnsley vs Stoke City Predictions

• Barnsley won three of their last five games, following a six-game losing streak.
• Stoke are winless in six games, falling by a single-goal margin in their last four.
• Barnsley scored at least twice in each of the last nine home H2H meetings.

Crunch time for the Tykes

While it looked unlikely for much of the season and it arguably still does, survival could yet be on the cards for Barnsley. A return of three wins across the last five rounds means that another success in this game will move Barnsley to within touching distance of Reading, and safety.

The relative purple patch for Barnsley includes wins in their last two home games and those were no flukes, as the first came against play-off chasing QPR and the second against a magnificent Middlesbrough side, suggesting that Barnsley can upset the odds under pressure.

The cracks are appearing in the Potters’ form

A six game winless run ahead of this clash has all but ended Stoke’s remote interest in the play-off positions, and with them sitting 20 points above the drop zone, it appears that there isn’t much left for Stoke to play for other than pride during the final run in, barring an incredible run of form.

Stoke are amongst the least reliable favourites in the Championship, possessing a mere 33% win-rate in league games entered as such (W7, D5, L9). That ratio drops to 20% when considering only away league games as betting favourites (W1, D1, L3), so it could pay to go for the value.

Considering the circumstances of the sides, I predict a Barnsley victory in this clash. However, I will back them in the ‘draw no bet’ market to provide some insurance, with a fourth 2-1 defeat within five games for Stoke looking like a real possibility.