Stoke City hosts Middlesbrough in key Championship matchup

Stoke City will host Middlesbrough at the bet365 Stadium on Tuesday, October 13, in a high-stakes Sky Bet Championship fixture. Stoke currently sits fourth in the table with 16 points, having rebounded from a poor start to the season with a six-match unbeaten run, including a recent 2-1 victory against Bolton Wanderers.

Middlesbrough enters the match unbeaten in their last seven league games and sits two points behind league leaders Swansea City. The visitors feature Will Lankshear, who is currently the Championship’s joint top scorer with seven league goals.

Both teams face personnel challenges. Stoke will be without Maksym Talovierov, who is suspended following a red card in their previous match. Middlesbrough is expected to be without Rokas Pukstas due to a hamstring injury and Alfie Jones, who remains sidelined with a calf injury.