Stoke vs Blackpool prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2022-08-05 14:00.
There was an air of optimism going into the new season for Stoke City who made a number of new additions to the squad over the summer. That optimism did not pay dividends on the opening day though as they went down 2-0 to Millwall in a poor performance, leaving manager Michael O'Neill with an early season headache.
The Potters must now try to avoid consecutive opening defeats of a second-tier league campaign for only the third time in their history, but having won their second league game only once in the last eight seasons, confidence in doing so is unlikely to be high (D4, L3). Welcoming Blackpool to the bet365 Stadium won’t be a source of comfort either, as Stoke have lost five of their previous eight home league H2Hs (W2, D1).
After securing their highest league finish in nine years last season (16th place), Blackpool continued that momentum when beating Reading 1-0 in their Championship opener which was a perfect start for returning manager Michael Appleton in what is his second-stint at the club. Appleton seems determined to make this second spell a success, stating in the wake of the win that he was “disappointed we scored only one", showing he clearly has high demands of his players.
However, the Seasiders hit the road boasting an unfavourable record in their first away league match of a new campaign, earning only one win in their last eight such fixtures (D3, L4). But keep in mind they recorded a joint-high nine league draws on the road last season, showing there can be a resilience to Blackpool on their travels.
Players to watch: Stoke’s top-scorer in the Championship last term, Jacob Brown, saw ten of his 13 league goals serve as his side’s opener. Blackpool’s Josh Bowler scored the late winner in this fixture last season, and his last three goals have all arrived beyond the 80th minute.
Hot stat: The result was the same at full-time as it was at half-time in ten of Stoke’s last 13 Championship matches.