Both Crewe Alexandra and Stoke City will be aiming to make it three straight pre-season victories when they lock horns for a friendly on Tuesday afternoon.
Crewe have overcome Newcastle Town and Stafford Rangers in their two summer matches, while Stoke have beaten Chester and Cork City as part of their preparations for the 2024-25 campaign.
Match preview
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Stoke finished 17th in the Championship last season, so they are preparing for another campaign in England's second tier, with the Potters absent from the Premier League since 2018.
Steven Schumacher's side actually ended their 2023-24 campaign with three straight wins, including a 4-0 success over Bristol City in their last match of the season.
The Potters have made an encouraging start to pre-season, meanwhile, beating Chester 3-0 in their summer opener on July 11 before recording a 5-0 victory over Cork City last time out.
Stoke have four more friendlies in the diary, tackling Crewe, Stockport County, Bolton Wanderers and AZ Alkmaar before opening their new Championship campaign at home to Coventry City on August 10.
Schumacher's side have made three signings so far this summer, with Eric-Junior Bocat, Viktor Johansson and Ben Gibson arriving to boost the squad for the 2024-25 season.
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Crewe, meanwhile, were sixth in League Two last term, which saw them qualify for the playoffs, but they lost to Crawley Town in the final.
The Alex are therefore preparing for another campaign in England's fourth tier, but they will be confident of making another strong push for promotion in the new season.
Like Stoke, Crewe have already played two friendlies this summer, beating Newcastle Town 5-0 in their summer opener on July 13 before overcoming Stafford Rangers 4-1 last time out.
Lee Bell's side will take on Stoke and Blackpool in their final two pre-season fixtures before opening their League Two campaign away to Barrow on August 10.
Crewe have managed to make five signings so far this summer, with Omar Bogle and Kane Hemmings both arriving on free transfers to boost the team's attacking options for the new campaign.
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Team News
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Crewe head coach Bell will again be looking to use his full squad for this match, so it is entirely possible that different XIs could take to the field for each half of the contest.
New signings Bogle and Hemmings could both be in the starting XI on Tuesday, while fellow new arrivals Jack Lankester and Max Sanders should also feature.
The League Two outfit have managed to secure the loan signing of Aston Villa goalkeeper Filip Marschall, meanwhile, and the 21-year-old could get the nod between the sticks here.
As for Stoke, new signings Bocat, Johansson and Gibson should all be involved.
There were different XIs named for each half of the clash with Cork last time out, with 17-year-old Sol Sidibe among those to make an impression with a goal.
Sidibe could now come in for a start on Tuesday afternoon, while Niall Ennis and Bae Jun-ho may feature as the front two from the first whistle against Crewe.
Crewe Alexandra possible starting lineup:
Marschall; Williams, Demetriou, Knight-Lebel, Finney; Thomas, Lunt, Sanders; Lankester, Bogle, Hemmings
Stoke City possible starting lineup:
Johansson; Tchamadeu, Anderson, Wilmot, Stevens; Burger, Baker, Thompson, Sidibe; Ennis, Junho
We say: Crewe Alexandra 1-2 Stoke City
Both sides have been impressive during pre-season thus far, and we are expecting a close match on Tuesday in terms of the scoreline. Stoke, however, should be able to navigate their way to a win in their third friendly of the summer.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
