Sad news: After winning Preston, Stoke City’s two-star players have been knocked down instantly by a catastrophic injury that might result in their…

Sad news: After winning Preston, Stoke City’s two-star players have been knocked down instantly by a catastrophic injury that might result in their…

Sad news: A devastating injury has promptly knocked down Stoke City‘s two outstanding players following their victory over Preston.

In the Sky Bet Championship on Saturday afternoon, relegation-threatened Stoke City takes on play-off-chasing Preston North End at Deepdale.

Ryan Lowe, who could have brought his pal to Lancashire, squares off against Steven Schumacher, who has the responsibility of keeping the Potters on the hunt—two close friends. Working together at Plymouth Argyle, Schumacher could have followed Lowe when he left in 2021, but he chose to stay and win the League One championship instead. In December, Schumacher made the decision to move out, choosing the Bet365 Stadium over Home Park.

The Lilywhites’ scheduled Wednesday night matchup against Southampton was canceled due to St. Mary’s Stadium catching fire. A day prior, Ben Pearson, a former North End midfielder, was sent off for two bookable offenses as Stoke fell 1-0 to Leeds United. Daniel Johnson was signed by Stoke, but he hasn’t been seen with the first team in a few weeks. Paul Gallagher, on the other hand, is a member of Schumacher’s backroom staff and serves as the first team coach.

In their last 12 league encounters with Stoke, PNE has only lost two, won seven, and drawn three. Out of the seven meetings, they have scored more than two goals. But in their last three trips to Preston, Stoke have gone undefeated, winning twice and drawing once.

Nonetheless, North End has a strong home record and has won their previous five league games at home. The finalThe last time they went six games at home without losing was in April 2023. Not only do they have a poor away record, but they have also lost their previous four games, which is their worst road record since March 2021.

Of the teams managed by Ryan Lowe, only Stevenage have lost more games than Stoke. In his four meetings with the Staffordshire team, Lowe has a record of three victories and one loss. Before kickoff, here are the most recent injury and team updates.