Fletcher starts: The predicted Stoke City XI to face Preston on Monday | OneFootball

Stoke City currently find themselves sitting in eighth place ahead of their fixture with Preston on Monday.

Michael O’Neill’s side returned to action in midweek against Derby after a 19-day wait for first team football after several postponements.

The Potters were well beaten by Wayne Rooney’s side and struggled to get a foothold in the game.

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To make matters worse, the gap to the playoffs has increased to four points following Huddersfield and QPR picking up three points in their respective fixtures.

Stoke will be hoping to get their 2022 off to a good start against Preston who have also been out of action due to postponements.

Michael O’Neill may opt for a slight change in formation as a result of the poor display in midweek against Derby.

With just seven goals being scored in their last eight games, O’Neill could call on a front three of Tyrese Campbell, Jacob Brown and Steven Fletcher to add more firepower for their home game against Preston.

The addition of Fletcher also allows Stoke to be more direct in their approach to the final third as they currently lack the creative spark in midfield to play through the thirds.

With the lack of midfield options available due to the absences of Jordan Thompson, Romaine Sawyers and Nick Powell, opting for a front three may alleviate some of the pressure on Joe Allen and Mario Vrancic in the middle of the park.

The back three will remain the same as they have continued to be solid despite the shaky form in recent weeks and haven’t allowed too many chances to be created for the opposition.