Official Boothen Roar Match Preview: Stoke City v Fulham

Last updated : 15 October 2011 By Dan Buxton

The Potters welcome Fulham to the Britannia Stadium for this Premier League encounter.

Stoke finished 13th last season in the Premier League and have started this season well, currently sitting 8th. The visitors finished in the top half of the table last season but have won only once in the league this campaign.

Stoke had a very good home record last season and beat fourteen sides at the Brit, suffering only five defeats and have already beaten Hajduk Split, Liverpool, Besiktas and Thun at home and drawn at the Brit against Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham. The Cottagers won three times away from home in the league last season but did win at the Britannia against the Potters. This season Fulham have just one point from three games on the road.

In the 35 matches between these sides at Stoke, the Potters have won 16, the visitors 11 and eight have been drawn. Last season when the pair clashed at the Britannia Stadium the Potters were defeated 2-0 by an early Chris Baird double. Overall Fulham have won 29 times to the Potters 26 victories. 

The referee is Martin Atkinson. He refereed Stoke three times last season, 2-0 away defeats at Sunderland, where he sent off Ryan Shawcross and also missed Lee Cattermole's handball on the line with the score at 1-0, and also the 1-0 FA Cup final defeat against Manchester City. He refereed Fulham four times in 2010/11, a 2-2 draw at home to Arsenal, 3-0 away win at Sunderland, 3-0 win at home to West Brom and 1-0 away defeat to Chelsea.

The Met Office report that there will be sunny intervals, temperatures of a mild 14 degrees celsius, very good visibility with an 8mph wind.

Prediction: City take the lead through Peter Crouch and then have the lead doubled in the second half through substitute Kenwyne Jones