Stoke City v Middlesbrough: play-off push meets top-three charge | OneFootball

Stoke City host Middlesbrough in the Championship on Wednesday, 21 January 2026 in Stoke-on-Trent, with the hosts chasing the play-offs and the visitors defending a top-three position.

The reverse fixture ended goalless earlier this season, and this meeting brings added stakes: Stoke City sit seventh, while Middlesbrough arrive third and in the promotion play-off places.

Stoke City are unbeaten in their last three league games, built on successive away wins at Hull and Norwich before a home draw with QPR. Middlesbrough's league form has been mixed across recent weeks but included a 4-0 win over Southampton and a 3-2 victory at West Brom, signalling attacking threat.

Stoke City list several absentees, including Steven Nzonzi, Ben Gibson, Aaron Cresswell, Lewis Baker, Sam Gallagher, Robert Bozenik, Viktor Johansson, Junior Tchamadeu and Divin Mubama. For Boro, Darragh Lenihan, George Edmundson, Callum Brittain, Riley McGree, Alfie Jones, David Strelec, Alex Bangura and Mamadou Kaly Sene are unavailable.

Boro may look to control phases given their season averages of 57% possession and 84.27% passing accuracy, while Stoke City's platform has been a tight defence with 11 clean sheets and only 23 goals conceded in 27 games. Key threats stand out: Sorba Thomas has nine league goals and six assists for Stoke City, while Boro's Morgan Whittaker has scored 10, with Hayden Hackney on five assists.

A home win would move Stoke City to 44 points and could nudge them into the play-off picture. Victory for Boro would take them to 52 points and further tighten their grip on the promotion play-offs.