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Stoke City vs Barnsley preview: 3 players to watch

By Matt Bernstein

STOKE ON TRENT, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 21: Steven Fletcher of Stoke City shoots under pressure from Jordan Williams of Barnsley during the Sky Bet Championship match between Stoke City and Barnsley at Bet365 Stadium on October 21, 2020 in Stoke on Trent, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)
STOKE ON TRENT, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 21: Steven Fletcher of Stoke City shoots under pressure from Jordan Williams of Barnsley during the Sky Bet Championship match between Stoke City and Barnsley at Bet365 Stadium on October 21, 2020 in Stoke on Trent, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images) /
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Stoke City vs Barnsley preview: 3 players to watch

Stoke City will square off against Barnsley on Wednesday evening as they look to make it 3 wins in a row and move closer to a playoff spot. Stoke are currently in ninth place with 45 points, just four points behind sixth place Bournemouth.  Barnsley are in tenth place, tied in points with Stoke, and also have a match in hand. Safe to say that a win here for Stoke would not only move them closer to Bournemouth, but would also help put some distance between some of the other Championship clubs vying for a playoff spot, specifically Barnsley, Cardiff, Middlesbrough, and Millwall.

Earlier in the season, the two sides played to a 2-2 draw as we saw four goals in the first fifty minutes followed by a Nathan Collins red card in the 60′. Stoke did well to hold of for a draw. With both clubs now feeling the pressure to secure points to stay in playoff contention, we should expect an entertaining mid-week match.

How to watch Stoke City vs Barnsley

Start time: Wednesday, February 24th at 7pm GMT

Location: Oakwell Stadium, Barnsley

How to watch on TV: SkySports Red Button for live TV. Stoke City fans can also stream on Stoke City+ live.

Last 5

Stoke City: L-D-D-W-W (+1 goal differential)

Barnsley: D-D-W-W-W (+3 goal differential)

Stoke key players vs Barnsley #1 Nick Powell

Nick Powell
ROTHERHAM, ENGLAND – JANUARY 19: Nick Powell of Stoke City (R) celebrates with Danny Batth after he scores his sides third goal during the Sky Bet Championship match between Rotherham United and Stoke City at AESSEAL New York Stadium on January 19, 2021 in Rotherham, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images) /

On the season, Powell has 10 goals and 2 assists in the Championship. His ten goals is tied for 6th in the league. For Stoke, he’s been nothing short of fantastic this year and his form of late probably has him at the top of Michael O’Neill’s sheet. It’s no secret that the link-up play between Powell and Fletcher have caused problems, so Stoke fans should expect to see the combo featured again on Wednesday and Barnsley.

As always, it is unclear if Powell will be in a number 10 role or wide left. Stoke have the flexibility to play both systems though Powell looks better as a number 10. Look for Powell to be the feature of Stoke’s attacking play again on Wednesday – if he can dictate play again Stoke have a good chance at securing three points.

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