MX23RW : Thursday, April 25 10:48:52| >> :60:1191:1191:
[monks data]
Stoke logo
Premier League
Mar 29, 2014 at 3pm UK
 
Hull logo

1-0

FT(HT: 0-0)

Preview: Stoke City vs. Hull City

Sports Mole previews the Premier League clash between Stoke and Hull at the Britannia Stadium as the two teams look for the final points which will secure their safety.

Stoke City welcome Hull City to the Britannia Stadium this Saturday having all but secured their Premier League status for next season with victory last weekend.

The Potters overcame an early deficit at Aston Villa to win 4-1, with Peter Odemwingie, Peter Crouch, Steven N'Zonzi and Geoff Cameron all on the scoresheet.

The result took them into the top half of the table and sent them 12 points clear of the drop zone.

A run of just one defeat in eight games has propelled Mark Hughes's side clear of relegation trouble, but their next opponents, Hull, probably feel that they need a couple more wins to feel completely safe.

A goal from Shane Long against his former club West Bromwich Albion helped the Tigers to a 2-0 win at the KC Stadium last week, which lifted them eight points clear of the bottom three.

While that is a healthy margin, Steve Bruce will be keen to guarantee survival as soon as possible so that his team can focus on their FA Cup semi-final with Sheffield United on April 13.

Hull are awaiting news on Allan McGregor, who spent the night in hospital after suffering kidney damage in the collision with Mohamed Diame, which saw him sent off in the 2-1 defeat to West Ham United.

Steve Harper will deputise in goal in what could be an otherwise unchanged side from the one that battled valiantly with 10 men at the Boleyn Ground, although Sone Aluko is in contention for a start.

Hughes could also stick with the majority of the XI that performed so well at Villa Park, as the Potters attempt to finish the highest of the Midlands clubs for the first time in the Premier League era.

The one change the Welshman could be forced into making would be at left-back, where Erik Pieters is nursing a knock and is a doubt, meaning that Marc Muniesa or Andy Wilkinson may be recalled.

Charlie Adam and Stephen Ireland are both available after being suspended and ineligible respectively for the win last Saturday, but Jonathan Walters serves the last of a three-game suspension.

Recent form

Stoke: WWDWLW

Hull: LWLWLW

Possible starting lineups

Stoke: Begovic; Cameron, Shawcross, Wilson, Muniesa; N'Zonzi, Whelan, Adam, Arnautovic, Odemwingie; Crouch

Hull: Harper; Rosenior, Chester, Davies, Figueroa, Elmohamady; Huddlestone, Livermore, Meyler; Jelavic, Long

Sports Mole says: 1-1


ID:146708: cacheID:146708:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:5867:No Data Analysis info

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Restore Data
Share this article now:
Marko Arnautovic of Stoke City beats Kevin Nolan, James Tomkins and Guy Demel of West Ham United to score their second goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Stoke City and West Ham United at Britannia Stadium on March 15, 2014
Read Next:
Match Analysis: Stoke City 3-1 West Ham
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Leicester CityLeicester443041086394794
2Leeds UnitedLeeds44279880374390
3Ipswich TownIpswich432611685533289
4Southampton442591085612484
5West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom4420121267442372
6Norwich CityNorwich442191477611672
7Hull City441912136556969
8Coventry CityCoventry4317121468551363
9Middlesbrough44189176460463
10Preston North EndPreston44189175661-563
11Cardiff CityCardiff44195205061-1162
12Bristol City441611175147459
13Sunderland44168205251156
14Swansea CitySwansea441511185762-556
15Watford441217155958153
16Millwall441411194355-1253
17Stoke CityStoke441311204460-1650
18Queens Park RangersQPR441311204157-1650
19Blackburn RoversBlackburn441310215874-1649
20Plymouth ArgylePlymouth441212205869-1148
21Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds44138233968-2947
22Birmingham CityBirmingham441210224864-1646
23Huddersfield TownHuddersfield44917184774-2744
RRotherham UnitedRotherham44412283285-5324


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!