Stoke commence life under Narcis Pelach with a Championship match at home to Hull at BET365 Stadium.
Victory would see Stoke climb to ninth in the table, whilst Hull can move out of the relegation zone and above the Potters into at least 13th position.
Team News
Stoke have no fresh injury issues following their Carabao Cup win over Fleetwood Town in midweek.
Bosun Lawal (back), Lynden Gooch (leg), Ben Pearson (hamstring) and Sam Gallagher (calf) remain ruled out.
Hull will be without Charlie Hughes after the defender needed appendix surgery.
Regan Slater (shoulder) is a doubt but Carl Rushworth is available after he missed the defeat to Sheffield United with a knock to his knee.
Ryan Longman (shoulder), Dogukan Sinik (tendon) and Andy Smith (ankle) remain sidelined.
When is Kick-Off?
Stoke host Hull at BET365 Stadium on Friday 20 September at 8pm BST, live on Sky Sports in the UK.
Stat Attack
- Stoke have lost one of their last seven meetings against Hull (W5, D1, L1).
- Hull have won one of their last six visits to Stoke (W1, D1, L4).
- Both teams have scored in one of their last six league meetings.
- Stoke have kept two clean sheets in five league matches this season.
- Hull have failed to score in their last three matches (D1, L2).
Prediction
Given that Stoke are sat comfortably in mid-table, it was a surprise to see Steven Schumacher sacked on Monday, but this managerial change could be what Stoke need to kick on and start to build some momentum with a managerial bounce.
Hull meanwhile will certainly be ruing their decision to let Liam Rosenior depart because they now lack much quality in attack, and don’t look particularly solid at the back despite forcing Sheffield Utd to work hard for their clinical win.
A win is therefore urgently needed for Hull otherwise Tim Walter’s time already looks up with not even one competitive win, and I do see another loss looming if Stoke can find their flair which they’re capable of delivering.
Prediction: Stoke 2-0 Hull
Result: Stoke 1-3 Hull
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