Stoke City vs Wolverhampton Predictions, Betting Tips and Match Previews

Stoke and Wolves continue their pre-seasons against one another this week. After prising him away from Derby, Stoke are looking to a campaign in a lower division for the first time in a decade under Gary Rowett. However, they face a Wolverhampton Wanderers who took Stoke’s place in the Premier League and have signed the quality players they took on loan last season, as well as some world-class players, such as Portugal national team goalkeeper Rui Patricio. Will Rowett’s side show they have the quality and guile to compete with Wolves in this friendly at the bet365 Stadium?

It has been all-change at Stoke City this summer, as the club reorganises following a dire season in the Premier League which saw manager Paul Lambert sacked and the club relegated. While the demanding former boss was desperate for a high-intensity style, Lambert largely failed in his attempt, with his team plagued with rumours of indiscipline and a general lack of quality around the team, leading to the team finishing bottom.

Under Rowett, Stoke will most likely maintain the high-intensity, counter-attacking football that was seen in glimmers last season, and prominent throughout Derby’s campaign. This is potentially why Stoke have bought hard-working, industrious players to replace those that left in the summer and sort out the lack of goal-threat they had last season. James McClean has been transferred from West Brom, whilst Tom Ince has just been bought from Huddersfield in an attempt to replace the talismanic Xherdan Shaqiri. Furthermore, Benik Afobe was bought from Wednesday’s opponents in a strange sequence of events that saw Afobe loaned to Stoke five days after being bought permanently by Wolves from Bournemouth. Although positive moves, results have not been great for Stoke in pre-season, losing three out of their last four matches, as well as not scoring against teams such as Bochum.

In contrast, Wolves have been impressive in pre-season, gaining good results against top Europeans teams such as Ajax and Basel, as well as scoring in every game, to carry on from their imperious form last season. Regularly compared to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, Wolves stormed the Championship last season, spearheaded by a fearsome attack that included 17-goal top-scorer Diego Jota, now signed permanently from Atletico Madrid.

Their style of play emulated Guardiola’s beliefs, with an emphasis on intricate passing and a ferocious attacking mindset. This gave the impression that they could take on anyone, which was seen when they took City to extra-time in the League Cup, as well as beating Stoke 2-0 on the way in that competition. With Portuguese legend Joao Moutinho potentially arriving from Monaco, the future looks bright for this Wolves team, and betting on them to score in most games, as well as finish in the top half of the Premier League could be a sure bet.

In this game then, it is hard to predict anything other than a Wolves win by a couple of goals, having been in such good form coming into this game. However, I think betting on Stoke City to grab a goal or two back would not be a bad call either, especially if Benik Afobe leads the line with a point to prove. In addition then, a 3-1 correct score-line could be a winner.