Di Championship season don reach di final bend, and di tension dey high for Racecourse Ground as Wrexham welcome Stoke City dis Saturday afternoon. For di Red Dragons, dis match na must-win if dem wan keep dia promotion dream alive. Dem dey currently for seventh position, just one spot outside di playoff places, and trailing Hull City by four points with only four games remain.
Phil Parkinson side don see historic first season back for second tier, but recent form don dey patchy. Dem don lose four from dia last seven matches, including 2-0 defeat to Birmingham City. Di biggest worry na dia defence wey don concede 13 goals across di last five games since dem beat Swansea City for March 13.
Even though Wrexham don win three of dia last five league matches for home ground, dia matches dey always produce plenty goals. For 21 home encounters dis season, 72 goals don enter net – 37 scored by Wrexham and 35 conceded. With Coventry City and Middlesbrough still to play after dis one, Parkinson don tell im players say dis game na must-win. If dem lose, dem fit find demself seven points behind playoff spot with only three games remain.
For Stoke City side, Mark Robins men dey for 16th position and mathematically safe from relegation, but dem no get enough points reach playoffs. Still, dem dey push for top-10 finish as di deficit to dat spot remain just three points. Di Potters don become difficult team to beat under Robins management, showing better defensive organization.
Stoke come into dis match after 1-1 draw with Blackburn Rovers, but dia away form don dey poor. Dem don lose dia last five away matches for Championship, and for 21 trips dis season, dem only win six. Dem dey score just 17 goals for away matches, and dis lack of goals for road don cost dem points.
Team news show say Wrexham get Josh Windass and Nathan Broadhead wey dey push for return to starting XI for attacking positions. Lewis O'Brien fit drop into deeper role replace Matty James, while Dominic Hyam suppose return to back three. Dan Scarr wey replace Hyam for last match perform well for St Andrew's, so selection headache dey for Parkinson.
Stoke get defensive problems as Ashley Phillips dey serve one-game ban and Ben Gibson dey doubt with groin injury. Teenager Syd Agina and Aaron Cresswell fit get recall, while Robins fit even change to back three formation. Junior Tchamadeu dey close to return to squad, and Lamine Cisse dey push for start ahead of Sam Gallagher for attack.
Possible lineup for Wrexham show Arthur Okonkwo for goal, with Scarr, Hyam and Eoghan Doyle for defence. Lassina Kabore, George Dobson, Lewis O’Brien and Adam Thomason for midfield, while Broadhead, Windass and Kieffer Moore dey lead attack. For Stoke, Gavin Bazunu go keep goal, with Haji Lawal, Agina, Cresswell and Junior Bocat for defence. Ben Pearson and Lewis Baker for defensive midfield, with Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, Million Manhoef and Tyrese Thomas supporting Cisse for attack.
Di match kick off for 15:00 on 18th April 2026, and broadcast dey available through various streaming services. For those wey dey travel abroad or wan access dia usual streaming services from different location, Virtual Private Network (VPN) like ExpressVPN fit help bypass geo-restrictions by changing virtual location to country wey dey broadcast di game.
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