Friday night’s return of the Championship sees 13th-placed Stoke City hosting 22nd-placed Hull City. The Potters became the first side in the league to part ways with their manager after sacking Steven Schumacher in favour of Narcis Pelach.
Tigers boss Tim Walter is walking a similar tightrope and will want a favourable result on Friday night.
Our EFL tipster, James O’Rourke, has piled over the stats and form and has five value picks for his Bet Builder. Let’s get into his Stoke v Hull betting tips.
Stoke v Hull Betting Tips
Cody Drameh to commit 1+ fouls
Alfie Jones to commit 1+ fouls
Marvin Mehlem to commit 1+ fouls
Junior Tchamadeu to commit 1+ fouls
Ben Wilmot to commit 1+ fouls
- A Bet Builder with these bets pays at approximately 10/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD IT TO YOUR BETSLIP.
WHEN: Friday, September 20th, 20:00
WHERE: The Bet365 Stadium, Stoke
TV: Sky Sports Football
Cody Drameh to commit 1+ fouls
Having appeared as a half-time substitute replacing Ryan Giles at left back in Hull’s previous match when losing at home to Sheffield United, manager Tim Walter is now expected to make this switch from the start. Lewie Coyle has the right back spot all to himself right now, so right-footed Drameh is set to slot in down the left, which isn’t completely alien to him, but this isn’t the side he’d ideally want to be down.
Therefore, it could be a little tricky for him to settle into the role without a few matches under his belt. Hence, Stoke may potentially target this as an area to expose, meaning the former Leeds man could be tested regularly. This would be his first start of the campaign, having endured an injury during pre-season, so he likely won’t be at complete 100%, but he deserves his shot with Giles struggling in the role recently. With him also being eager to impress, it may lead to almost trying too hard on occasions, meaning a foul or two stands a good chance of being committed by the full-back, even more so knowing he is up against skilful Stoke winger Million Manhoef.
Alfie Jones to commit 1+ fouls
Alfie Jones has played every minute of Hull’s Championship matches and Tim Walter rates the central defender very highly. He is tidy on the ball, meaning he is an asset in their building from the back approach, but he is also very committed and leaves everything on the pitch. Hull play high-risk football, meaning that only one bad pass or poor control could easily lead to the opposition being presented with a probable goalscoring opportunity. In such situations, the visitors would look to make a quick foul to stop such an attack from progressing. That very situation could quickly arise on Friday.
Based on Jones’ performances this season, it would be somewhat against the grain if he failed to attract the match officials’ attention. This is because the 26-year-old has committed one or more fouls in all bar two matches this season in all competitions. The Bristol-born defender is averaging 0.83 fouls per game in league and cup, and with Hull’s degree of desperation to get their first win of the season, frustrations could boil over at times.
Marvin Mehlem to commit 1+ fouls
Hull City have arguably been the busiest club from the end of last season to the conclusion of the transfer window in terms of seeing players come and go. Many key individuals from the previous campaign departed, leaving several holes that needed filling. Tim Walter looked to do just that, and one of his first recruits was Marvin Mehlem, who quickly established himself as a regular starter for the MKM Stadium club. There are many other options in this area of the pitch, but clearly, he offers something the manager wants.
He is a midfield player with a natural eye for getting forward and grabbing a goal. Although he has yet to do so in a Tigers shirt, he averages 1.40 shots per game in all competitions. However, he does have a defensive role and doesn’t look natural doing that part of the game. While he is pretty handy at getting opposing players to foul him, he has committed an average of 1.50 fouls. Also, the fact he has practically played every league minute so far suggests he’ll likely get maximum time to commit one or more fouls on the day.
Junior Tchamadeu to commit 1+ fouls
After stating a case for three Hull players to be amongst the fouls, the first of two Stoke squad members who should hopefully do the same is right-back Junior Tchamadeu. The Cameroon international has been first choice on the right side of a back four this season, and there is no reason to believe that will change just yet following the appointment of a new manager earlier this week. Even so, Head Coach Narcís Pèlach isn’t blessed with much depth in this region of the squad but possesses a forward-thinking full-back that suits the modern game.
Over his five league appearances in 2024/25, Tchamadeu has averaged 1.20 fouls per match, so only that average continuing is required. Plus, he will naturally have a buzz about his game, given that he will look to impress his new manager and ultimately retain his spot in the starting eleven. Given his direct nature and ability to beat his man one-on-one, he will be directly facing Hull wing Liam Millar, who is just the type that no opposing defender enjoys relishing.
Ben Wilmot to commit 1+ fouls
Ben Wilmot is one of the longer-serving members of this squad and one of the team sheet’s first names alongside Ben Gibson in the central defensive positions. Stoke will naturally look to change their way of playing the longer the new manager is in place, but he’ll struggle to affect them so much in time to notice a significant difference against Hull. This is mentioned because Stoke have only scored three league goals all season, so their backline is under tremendous pressure to try and protect their goal, knowing they’ll find it hard to turn the game around if conceding. Wilmot, therefore, will have a significant role to play on Friday night in keeping Hull at bay.
However, Pèlach will want his teams to build from the back, so Wilmot must be wary of making such errors in his defensive third whilst in possession. It places big pressure on him, opening the door to committing a foul or two should things go wrong in this particular way of playing. He committed two fouls in the recent away victory at Plymouth, so he is no stranger to getting stuck in when he has to.
Stoke v Hull Bet Builder Tips
Cody Drameh to commit 1+ fouls
Alfie Jones to commit 1+ fouls
Marvin Mehlem to commit 1+ fouls
Junior Tchamadeu to commit 1+ fouls
Ben Wilmot to commit 1+ fouls
- A Bet Builder with these bets pays at approximately 10/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD IT TO YOUR BETSLIP.
All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
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