Bet On Stoke City & Mark Hughes To Take The Fight To Palace

There are some great games this weekend in the English Premier League but perhaps the most tense will be the clash between current middle of the table rovers Crystal Palace and the team currently sat dead last, Stoke City, who are still looking for their first win this season. Will the Eagles soar or the Potters prevail? Should you back Palace or bet on Stoke City? We take a look.

Crystal Palace vs Stoke City

• Sunday 18th Sept.
• 14:15 GMT
• Crystal Palace – Evens
• Draw – 23/10
• Stoke City – 3/1

Stoke City is, of course, under the stewardship of Peter Coates the billionaire related to Bet365 in so many ways but unlike his other business interests there has been a distinct slump in performance this season with the side sitting squarely at the bottom of the table risking becoming this season’s Aston Villa. You can, of course, always bet on Stoke City to go down fighting, and perhaps this is why their manager Mark Hughes, he of Manchester United fame, went a little overboard on the touchline last weekend.

“There were two decisions,” he explained after Stoke’s 4-0 loss to Spurs, “I thought should have gone our way so I reacted in a forceful manner.” Which is a generous description of his antics. “When you come out of your technical arena, it’s not allowed, sometimes you forget that.” He acknowledged. “Mr Moss, bless him, decided that warranted a sending off,” admitting grudgingly, “which, by the letter of the law, it did, so I have to hold my hands up.” Hughes was sent to the stands and faces a misconduct charge, which won’t encourage anyone to bet on Stoke City if they like to bet on sports in the UK.

Bet365 Doesn’t Think Stoke City Will Get Their First Win

A bet on Stoke City has to be undertaken with the knowledge that they only have a single point so far this season from a draw with Middlesbrough, and their opposition on Sunday, Crystal Palace, enter the match off the back of a 2 – 1 win against that very team just last weekend. With a pair of superb goals from Christian Benteke and Wilfried Zaha they got a deserved three points, however as the UK gambling news headlines may have pointed out, Palace too had some drama to deal with at the weekend as one of their defenders was airlifted to hospital.

Stoke City has been longtime partners with Bet365 (photo: stokecityfc.com)

The 26 year old Senegalese defender Pape Souare was involved in a car accident last Sunday and was taken by air ambulance to hospital where he had surgery on both his jaw and thigh. He has made 44 English Premier League appearances for Palace and the Eagle’s Chairman, Steve Paris, was able to reassure fans that Souare “is expected to make a full recovery” and would be discharged from hospital soon. His absence from the team will be noticeable but will it be enough to make a bet on Stoke City worth it? No. Probably not.

Bet On Stoke City? I Should Bleedin’ Coco!

The sad fact is Stoke City haven’t really played to their ability as yet this season, but perhaps Tottenham demolishing them so dramatically will allow them to rebuild from the ashes. You can bet on Stoke City examining their play and tactics afresh in light of such a heavy defeat and who knows what a slightly abashed Mark Hughes will come up with on Sunday as they face off against the boys from London? Unfortunately the bookies, even Bet365, don’t give Stoke much of a hope.

Trials & Tribulations

• Mark Hughes sent off
• Misconduct charge pending
• Pape Souare in car crash
• Full recovery expected

Under the ever more watchful eye of UK gambling laws Bet365 give Stoke 3/1 to win, which is hugely generous, but frankly to place a bet on Stoke City this weekend you’d have to feel luckier than Lucky Lotto Lu betting on One Legged Lau to win an arse kicking contest in Yuanling during a Lunar Eclipse, especially as Crystal Palace are getting evens, and a draw is 23/10 at best. So will Stoke get their first win of the 2016/17 season? Will Palace plaster them across the pitch? Will Hughes do another Jose Mourinho impression? We all wait to see with baited breath, but probably backing Palace.