The Championship action returns with a full slate of fixtures this weekend.

All 24 teams will be looking to make a good start to life back in the week-to-week of league drama.

One such game in which both teams will be looking to turn around their recent fortunes will take place at the Bet365 Stadium as Stoke City host Cardiff City.

Sky Sports pundit David Prutton has predicted a low-scoring affair on Saturday, but believes that the Potters will have the edge over Mark Hudson’s side.

The former midfielder has claimed that Alex Neil will be disappointed with how his Stoke side have performed this season and that Saturday’s fixture offers a good chance to start righting the ship.

Meanwhile, he has sympathised with the task at hand for Hudson at Cardiff, having recently been made permanent manager of the first team squad.

But he has predicted a 1-0 loss for the Bluebirds to continue their current losing run.

“Stoke should be doing a lot better,” wrote Prutton, via Sky Sports.

“You can be sure that Alex Neil will have left his players in no doubt over the break of what he wants from them between now and the end of the season. 

“I'll be intrigued to see how they hit the ground on Saturday.

You need some semblance of reassurance for the manager and Cardiff have given that to Mark Hudson by putting him in charge for the rest of the season. 

“It's a tough job that he's got there. 

“They lost two in a row before the break, and I think that will become three.”

 

 

Stoke currently lead Cardiff by just one point going into this weekend, so the Potters have a chance to extend that gap with a victory.

Three points could lift the team as high as 14th if results elsewhere go in their favour.

But defeat for Cardiff could see them fall into the relegation zone, with the gap to the bottom three currently just one point.

The Verdict

Both teams lost their last game going into the World Cup break, so have had four weeks to stew on that disappointment.

Despite mixed results, Hudson has been entrusted with the position of manager at Cardiff, and he will be looking to make an immediate impact since that announcement was made.

The last month has given both managers a lot of time to work thoroughly with their team to iron out any tactical issues.

It has also allowed both to recharge, so we should be expecting a very physically demanding game, with this effectively acting as a chance for both to reset their season.