Stoke City vs Shrewsbury Predictions

Will Stoke edge through to the Fourth Round of the FA Cup on Tuesday night? They meet League One opposition at the bet365 Stadium, with Shrewsbury the visitors. The Potters are aiming to boost a middling campaign by sparking a cup run, as their hopes of getting out of the Championship seem slim. Will the struggling hosts get a lift in morale this week with a home win, or can the third tier side come away with a huge shock?

Shrewsbury are going up against the League One manager of the month for December after Nathan Jones left Luton for Stoke. He was drafted in when the Potters drew 1-1 away to Shrewsbury, as that result ended Gary Rowett’s spell in charge at the bet365. He failed to get any kind of promotion push going, despite their position as title favourites a few months back. That’s left little to play for in the second half of the season, so Jones basically has a free-hit, although a cup run would be a massive lift.

The visitors are hanging just above the drop zone in League One, as they were hammered 3-0 against Charlton at the weekend. They’ve got work to do in order to keep their place in the third division, so this clash comes as a bit of a distraction. However, they meet a Stoke side who are without a win in their previous five matches. That opens up an opportunity for the visitors, who will be hoping to secure a major shock on the back of the hosts’ recent results.

Despite their recent form, Stoke have been priced up as heavy favourites for a result here. Jones was able to guide his Luton side to a surprise 0-0 draw at Sheffield Wednesday in the Third Round, but now he’s expected to finish the job as the boss of the favourites. His opening clash in charge didn’t go to plan with a defeat at Brentford, but this seems like the perfect time to turn Stoke’s fortunes around.

One major issue for the hosts is at the back, as they’ve conceded in four of their last five matches here. Meanwhile, Shrewsbury have seen both teams score in their last eight away trips, so we are backing them to cause trouble against a vulnerable Stoke defence. While the Potters should edge this one, they’ve conceded in all but one of their last 11 home matches in the cup. Their last four cup home wins have seen both teams score, so we like the look of Stoke and BTTS here.