Stoke City square off against Rotherham United at the New York Stadium on Boxing Day looking to extend their unbeaten run in the Championship to three matches.

However, should 19th-placed Rotherham prevail in this fixture, they will move ahead of their opponents in the standings as both clubs bid to move away from the relegation zone.

Match preview

Although the Stoke hierarchy have a history of supporting their managers, Alex Neil knows that he can ill-afford to be delivering inconsistent results throughout the remainder of the campaign.

To his and his team's credit, they have returned from the World Cup break in better shape than they started it, collecting four points from fixtures with Cardiff City and Bristol City.

The 2-1 victory over the latter, made all the most rewarding having trailed at Ashton Gate, has moved Stoke five points clear of the relegation zone.

Stoke also now have 10 points from six games, their best over that amount of games since September and the middle of October, and another three points on Monday would catapult the club up the table.

On the flip side, however, the Staffordshire outfit could drop down to as low as 20th place with defeat, highlighting the importance of this fixture.

There is an argument that the match is far more important for Matt Taylor and Rotherham with the club having fallen considerably closer to the bottom three since his arrival.

The 3-0 reverse at West Bromwich Albion last weekend was Rotherham's sixth in nine outings, their only success during that time coming away at second-placed Sheffield United.

The Millers now possess the joint-fifth worst defensive record in the division, not helped by shipping three times in each of their two fixtures since the resumption.

While it is worth noting that seven of Rotherham's last 10 matches have taken place on away territory, they have lost their most recent three games at their Yorkshire home.

Rotherham will be without Grant Hall and Georgie Kelly for approximately a month after they both sustained injuries over the past week.

Veteran defender Richard Wood may be handed a recall in defence, while Ollie Rathbone could return to the midfield after dealing with a minor fitness issue.

Neil may decide to start with the same starting lineup from Stoke's victory over Bristol City.

However, the likes of Ben Wilmot and Harry Clarke are expected to return to the squad after illness and are in contention to be recalled.

Nick Powell is likely to remain on the substitutes' bench, despite being the only introduction as a replacement last time out.

Rotherham United possible starting lineup:
Johansson; Humphreys, Wood, Harding; Norton-Cuffy, Barlaser, Rathbone, Bramall; Wiles, High; Ogbene

Stoke City possible starting lineup:
Bonham; Souttar, Jagielka, Fox; Brown, Baker, Thompson, Smallbone, Tymon; Campbell, Delap

We say: Rotherham United 1-2 Stoke City

While Rotherham have been more reliant on their home form this campaign, three successive defeats on familiar territory make this a difficult contest. On the other hand, Stoke have one of the better away records in the division, leading us to predict a hard-fought triumph for the Potters.

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