Denis Smith, a Stoke City veteran, thinks his old team will avoid relegation before the end of the season, but he also knows it’s “going to be tight.”
The Championship is a very close race to survive, with only five points separating 15th and 23rd in the league standings. With several significant fixtures approaching, the Potters are only two points above the relegation zone.
On Friday night, Steven Schumacher’s club will go to the MKM Stadium to take on a Hull City team that is still fighting for a berth in the play-offs. The big meeting against fellow relegation-threatened Huddersfield Town at home comes just after this one.
Following his departure from Plymouth Argyle in December, Schumacher has faced challenges in his role as manager of the Bet365 Stadium. As it happens, Stoke City and the Pilgrims are currently tied for the same number of points and will play each other around the end of April.
After overseeing 17 games in all competitions thus far, the 40-year-old has only been able to lead the squad to five wins and nine losses. At one time, Stoke even lost to relegation, which sparked early concerns about his future.
Early in March, an excellent 2-1 victory over Preston North End on the road suggested Schumacher’s team had turned the corner. Before the international break, City was soundly defeated 3-0 at home by Norwich City, though, which immediately brought the team back to earth.
But even if it would be difficult to stay up this season, icon Denis Smith has nevertheless given his old club every chance to make it through another season in England’s second division in an interview with BBC Sport [quotes via Inside Futbol]:
“I think we’ll hold our ground, but it’s going to be close.
“If we place fifth or sixth from the bottom, that’s where we are. After that, we need to start building, but we need to finish this season first.
“The crucial game is the one that comes next.Sincerely, I think we’ll stay up,” he said.
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