- Away form: Oldham Athletic have failed to win either of their last 2 away games, so it's a major ask for them to get a result on Saturday.
- Home form: Stoke have won 1 and lost 1 of their last 2 home games, so they are not perfect at home either.
- Stats: Oldham Athletic are conceding an average of 2.00 goals per away game while Stoke are scoring an average of 0.80 per home game.
Stoke look to have the edge
Odds and prediction
Stoke come into Saturday's game at Bet365 Stadium as the clear favorites to beat Oldham Athletic at 1.41, which is not a price worth supporting. The Latics are a long way out at 6.4 and even though they are capable of causing an upset, we'll give Stoke the edge in this clash.
Oldham's approach
Micky Mellon has his side working from compact and narrow defensive blocks, usually in a 3-5-2 or 4-2-3-1 shape, but his blueprint is all about springing direct, high-tempo counters. There is a lot of direct running and tempo in an Oldham Athletic game and, if they get the first clean break, they will be a major threat in this tie.
Stoke's approach
Stoke are a more structured team under Mark Robins and have the players to match up to the Latics at their game. He has them pressing with a timing-based press and quick vertical switches once the ball is won. The Potters are set up to squeeze the game into the middle third, win a series of duels and then try to make it a quick game when they get the ball back.
Oldham are coming off a defeat
The Latics can be a tough team to stop when they are full of beans, but they come into this game off the back of defeats to Newport County and Bolton, so Stoke should be able to control the pace of this game.
Oldham have won three, drawn one and lost six of their last ten in all competitions, so the visitors are not in great form overall, and Stoke have just enough quality to get the job done here. The Potters are on a two-game winning streak and that little surge in momentum could be enough to secure a win.
Stoke’s quality should edge it
We feel that the clear favorite has enough quality to earn the win here, but we don't expect Stoke to run away with it as Oldham's counter-attacking style should keep the score close enough for the hosts to worry about.
- A home win and under 3.5 goals is a good fit here, with the Over 2.5 goals at 1.57 and Both Teams To Score – Yes at 1.75 looking like good options in the markets.
