Stoke vs Huddersfield prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2023-02-14 19:45.
It’s been a forgettable campaign for Stoke City who drew 0-0 with Hull on Saturday, stretching their Championship run to just one win in seven league matches (D2, L4). They’re now nine points worse off than they were at this stage of last season, but more worryingly, they come into the round just five points above the drop zone. That makes this a potentially season-defining week as they prepare to host relegation-threatened Huddersfield with Blackpool up next.
Loyal fans of the Potters have often seen the worst of their side at home, highlighted by their measly return of 16 points (W4, D4, L7) at the Bet365 Stadium this season; only three sides coming into the round have picked up fewer home points. However, with four wins from the last five competitive home H2Hs (L1), Stoke perhaps couldn’t ask for a better opponent to galvanise that run.
Huddersfield may have parted ways with head coach Mark Fotheringham last week, yet, the issues that persisted under him remained as they suffered a costly 1-0 defeat to fellow relegation rivals Wigan. Frustrated interim manager NarcĂs Pèlach blasted the lack of attacking threat in the second half from the Terriers who failed to register a single shot on target. It’s probably no surprise then that only two sides come into the round having averaged fewer shots per game than Huddersfield this season (9.4).
It’s crucial the Terriers’ hierarchy get this next managerial appointment right, as prospects of survival are looking increasingly gloomy. They’ve not suffered relegation into England’s third tier since the 2002/03 campaign, but alarmingly for fans of the Yorkshire outfit, their points tally after 30 matches of that campaign is identical to what they’ve accumulated at the same stage of this one (28).
Players to watch: Lewis Baker, Stoke’s joint-highest league scorer (five), endured an eventful afternoon in August’s H2H, when he scored, missed a penalty and ended up in the referee’s book. Huddersfield’s Jordan Rhodes scored the third goal in that 3-1 win, and his side are unbeaten in the five league games in which he’s found the back of the net this season (W4, D1).
Hot stat: Only one of the last six H2H meetings have been goalless at half-time.