Stoke vs Hull prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2023-09-23 11:00.
After Stoke won two of their first three in the league this season, a winless run in the following four (D1, L3) raises questions over their promotion credentials. We may still be in the early stages of a long campaign, but manager Alex Neil will be concerned that they are falling on the wrong side of tight margins more often than not, with all four of their league defeats this term by either a one or two-goal margin.
The Potters’ case isn’t helped by the fact they have failed to find the back of the net in four of their seven Championship outings this term, which seems ludicrous given they hammered Rotherham 4-1 on the opening day and then 6-1 in the Carabao Cup. Positively, they ended their losing run and scored twice in a 2-2 draw at Huddersfield in midweek, coming from behind to take the lead, before seeing their advantage slip in just six minutes – the speed of that indicative of a side low on confidence.
It doesn’t get any easier with Hull visiting the Bet365 Stadium on Sunday having lost only one of their first seven (W3, D3) and looking like genuine promotion contenders. The Tigers have taken nine points already off teams who finished above them last season in the Championship, or those who were relegated from the Premier League, with a goalless draw at home to Leeds on Wednesday night earning the most recent of those.
Sunday’s visitors will, however, be wary of what has been a dreadful record against the Potters in recent times, with just two wins in the last ten meetings (D1, L7) and none in the most recent five (D1, L4). Ominously, the Tigers haven’t scored a single goal the last four times they’ve come up against Stoke, but having found the net in all-but one of their league games this term, that run could end here.
Players to watch: Stoke’s Daniel Johnson was on the scoresheet in midweek, but he’s more of a creator against Hull, assisting in two of his last five personal home H2H appearances. At the other end of the pitch, Ozan Tufan and Aaron Connolly are responsible for 80% of Hull’s league goals this term.
Hot stat: Hull have failed to score on six of their last eight league visits to Stoke.