Derby v Stoke: Sky Bet Championship match preview, TV details and free tip

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Derby v Stoke in the Sky Bet Championship.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Football, 7.45pm Friday

Best bet

Stoke
1pt 9-5 bet365, Betway, Hills
Click here to back this tip with Hills

Team news

Derby
Left-back Max Lowe is suspended. Krystian Bielik is out for the season while Tom Huddlestone is a doubt.

Stoke
Ryan Shawcross remains out.

Match preview

Tuesday brought another crazy night in the Sky Bet Championship and many punters will now be wondering if shocks have become the norm.

Defeat for leaders West Brom and wins for the bottom two were the big headlines from the midweek card, while Derby suffered a crushing 3-2 loss at Luton.

Before that they had been in decent form, while Stoke will also arrive at Pride Park in decent shape after a disastrous start to the season. However, quite how much stock you put in form is questionable in a division where the word upset needs to be used with caution.

Bookmakers reckon the teams are hard to split which is something of a minor surprise given Derby’s home form – they have won eight times in front of their own fans, which is more than some highflyers such as the Baggies and Nottingham Forest. And Stoke have lost nine of their 14 away games.

Stoke have had an extra few days off and are unbeaten in four league games, a sequence which includes a 1-0 win at West Brom.

They are turning into a decent-looking side and many have credited that to boss Michael O’Neill’s switch to a 4-2-3-1 set-up which has brought out the best in Nick Powell and one or two others.

Phillip Cocu’s Derby are in desperate need of defensive reinforcements with a lack of leadership at the back while regular left-back Max Lowe is suspended.

They look re-energised since Wayne Rooney’s arrival and have had some decent results including a 1-0 win at Crystal Palace in the FA Cup third round.

However, they were held to a 0-0 draw by League Two Northampton in the fourth round and their five-match unbeaten run in the Championship prior to their reverse at Luton was achieved against teams in the bottom half.

Stoke look to have found something extra of late and will be fresher so they look the better bet.

Key stat

Stoke’s only defeat in their last six Championship matches was at Fulham.

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