In this article…
Stoke v Hull
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Kick Off: Friday 20th September at 20:00
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Competition: Championship
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Watch Live: Sky Sports Football
Stoke City were made to go through penalties in their midweek League Cup tie after conceding an injury-time goal against League Two Fleetwood Town to draw after 90 minutes, but did eventually progress to the next stage after spot-kicks.
This was their first match since Steven Schumacher was sacked as manager on Monday, with club legend and youth team coach Ryan Shawcross overseeing the cup tie. However, watching from the stands was Narcís Pèlach, currently on the coaching staff at Norwich City, but primed to become Schumacher’s successor at the bet365 Stadium.
Hull are one of only three clubs in the Championship still searching for a maiden win of the campaign, and getting one here would move them to level on points with their Friday night opponents.
Stoke v Hull Best Bets
➡️ Back Over 1.5 First Half Goals at 2.75 with Betfair
It can be difficult to know exactly what to expect from a team when there is a change of manager, even more so when the incoming individual has been working as an assistant/coach over the last four years or so. Nevertheless, he will come in looking to make an impression, and Hull could actually be a good opponent for Stoke to face right now. A high-pressing game should be the new norm for Friday’s home team, and given how Hull are taking big risks with their building-from-the-back style, it could give Stoke some joy.
Pèlach won’t have had long working with his new squad, so expecting massive change is not likely. The Tigers therefore should be a little more settled, and the key for them is to improve their end product too, and there were some encouraging signs in the Sheffield United match regarding them addressing their own troubles in front of goal.
Knowing anything can happen in this sort of clash, 2.75 is an attractive price for over 1.5 first half goals. Stoke will have had to take on plenty of information and it will surely see them experience some teething problems early into their new manager’s tenure, if he is announced before Friday.
📂 Stoke v Hull Cheat Sheet
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📊 Stoke Form and Stats
The decision to part company with Steven Schumacher was all the more surprising considering they had won two of their last three beforehand in league and cup, but it could be argued that it also read as four overall victories in all competitions this season, yet only two of them were in the league. All four of those successes came whilst keeping a clean sheet, suggesting that being tight at the back is particularly key to winning for Stoke.
In fact, The Potters have won 17 league contests since the beginning of the previous campaign and in 12 of those they did not concede a single goal. However, a change of manager, to one who is potentially more open and expressive in his style of play, could see their matches feature more goals moving forward. Five of their eight fixtures in all competitions this term have featured two goals or fewer.
Only Cardiff and their upcoming opponents Hull, two of the winless teams in the league, have netted fewer league goals than Stoke so far.
Firing in more shots would be one way to potentially change this, particularly as they’re averaging only 8.38 attempts per league clash this season, a figure that betters only five other clubs in the division. Another statistic which may reflect badly on Stoke and why they decided to change coach was that they are one of only seven clubs in the Championship yet to be winning at half-time in any game. They’re yet to concede beyond the 75th minute in the league, so stronger starts could be another way to pick up more regular points.
📊 Hull Form and Stats
Six games into the new season and it is zero victories in all competitions, and the fact they haven’t even scored a goal in anger over their previous three suggests that this winless sequence is not necessarily close to a conclusion. This has coincided with Tim Walter’s appointment as manager, controversially replacing Liam Rosenior – who guided the Tigers to a 7th-placed finish last term.
Walter adopts a high possession style of play. However, this is not translating into goals or even chances on goal collectively as only five other teams in the league have a worse xGF in comparison. Just bottom-of-the-table Cardiff have netted fewer goals, so vast improvement is required moving forward.
Friday’s setback at home to Sheffield United perhaps provided a crumb of comfort to Walter and his players knowing it was an improved showing. This was backed up by recording an xGF of 1.39 compared to 0.72 from the opposition, so brushing up on their end product is now the key. There is an expectancy on striker Chris Bedia to do just that, but the recent recruit has only struck one goal over all of 2024, which came in May with previous club Union Berlin.
Liam Millar, one of many summer signings at MKM Stadium, was added to the squad to offer attacking flair, but he is leading the Hull yellow card count this season. One to keep an eye on if it is another frustrating night for the Tigers.
⚔️ Stoke v Hull Head-to-Head
After the first meeting took place in 1907, Friday night’s latest battle between Stoke and Hull will be the 77th in the history of this particular fixture. In more recent times, it is The Potters who have held the upper hand. In all encounters played since the beginning of 2020, just once have Stoke been defeated and they’ve also won five of those seven games.
However, the most recent match that took place at the bet365 Stadium was a successful trip for The Tigers, who secured a 3-1 victory, which was their first win at this ground since a League Cup tie played in September 2016. Earning progression in the cup that time came despite conceding the opening goal.
Of the previously mentioned seven most recent meet-ups in this head-to-head series, goals were a common theme. Overall, 2.71 goals on average were scored. Despite this, only two of those would actually feature both teams scoring and only one finished as a draw.
Friday’s home team have shipped only one goal over the previous five H2H matches, which was in the only contest they lost, while they were the winning team in two of the other four. Another common trait that covered the last three matches involving these two clubs is that the away team on the day received the most yellow cards.
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* We recommend waiting for confirmed team line-ups before placing any bets.
* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing.
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