Stoke vs Leicester Prediction & Betting Tips (21 February)

Stoke’s meeting with Leicester in the Championship at the bet365 Stadium on 21 February 2026 arrives at a fascinating moment in the season, with both clubs trying to drag themselves away from the lower reaches of the table. Recent league form shows Stoke drawing too many games and Leicester slipping into a worrying spiral of defeats, yet the underlying numbers suggest a much tighter contest than the standings alone imply. The hosts have become harder to break down at home, while Leicester still carry plenty of attacking threat despite their struggles, setting up a clash where momentum, confidence, and in‑game management could matter more than pure talent.

For Stoke, the last few weeks have been a grind but also a quiet statement of resilience. A narrow league loss at Charlton followed a goalless stalemate with West Brom, and before that there were battling draws against Birmingham and others that underlined their defensive discipline. Cup progress against Coventry, earned with a single‑goal win after a disciplined display, echoed the kind of performance previewed in our earlier look at that tie at 1-0. Around the turn of the year, Stoke also picked up valuable away points and a morale‑boosting victory in Norfolk, evidence that they can manage tight occasions when the pressure rises.

Leicester, by contrast, come into this fixture with their confidence shaken but not entirely broken. A dramatic home defeat to Southampton, a seven‑goal thriller that finished 3-4, highlighted both their attacking flair and defensive fragility. That result extended a sequence of league games where late goals and small lapses have repeatedly cost them points, leaving them closer to the relegation battle than they would have expected. Attention has also turned to how they respond in upcoming and recent fixtures covered in previews such as 1-1 and 1-0, where the focus has been on restoring structure, pressing intensity, and belief.

Putting all of this together, the matchup feels like one where Stoke’s growing defensive organisation and home advantage could tilt the balance against a Leicester side still searching for stability. If the hosts can reproduce the compact shape and controlled tempo that have underpinned their better recent displays, they should be able to limit Leicester’s transitions and gradually impose themselves territorially. With that in mind, and factoring in Leicester’s habit of conceding at key moments, our view is that Stoke can edge this with a clear margin, and we are settling on a 2-0 correct score – a solid, professional 2 : 0 home