(Football news) Following a narrow 1-0 loss to the Seagulls at home in the fifth round of the previous campaign, the Potters will be out for revenge. After taking on the role of manager at Stoke, Steven Schumacher has led his team to four wins and three draws in as many games. On New Year’s Day, the team played Ipswich Town, who were looking to go up, to a goalless draw.
The Potters held their own against the Tractor Boys to earn a crucial point in their attempt to avoid the relegation zone, even if Schumacher deemed Jordan Thompson’s red card “unnecessary” for his disobedience halfway through the second half.
Stoke is still in 19th place in the Championship and seven points above the bottom three. However, the Potters have to focus on the FA Cup, where they hope to advance from the third round for the third straight season, before they get ready for two favorable-looking league games against struggling teams, Rotherham United and Birmingham City.
Given that his team has only won two of their last 11 games at the bet365 Stadium and has failed to score in front of goal on seven of those occasions, Schumacher will be anxious to improve his team’s home performance.
But with Stoke having lost their last eight FA Cup matches against Premier League teams and their last three meetings with Brighton ending in defeat, the team’s chances of winning on Saturday appear remote.
Brighton had to settle for a point in a goalless draw with West Ham United on Tuesday, after finishing 2023 on a high note with a 4-2 home triumph over Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.
On twenty occasions, the Seagulls succeeded in keeping their first clean sheet in the league this season, despite being repeatedly frustrated by a defiant Alphonse Areola in goal.
Before this, Roberto De Zerbi’s team had only drawn a blank in one of their previous 44 games. However, they have now lost two of their last four games. Still, they are only three points behind West Ham in sixth place in the Premier League after winning a point at the London Stadium to move up to seventh place.
Brighton will be anxious to avoid making another early cup exit this weekend after losing to Chelsea in the EFL Cup third round earlier in the season. They have a strong recent FA Cup record—they have only lost one of their last seven ties at this stage of the competition—and will be looking to avoid losing this Saturday.
Also read: Chelsea will play Preston in the FA Cup
