Stoke vs Coventry Prediction: Team News and Lineups Preview

A tough opener at the Bet365 Stadium for both sides, Josh Ingram, offers a Stoke vs Coventry prediction, team news and lineups preview for the 2024/2025 Championship opening weekend.

After an inspiring run in the FA Cup last term, Coventry’s expectations are to get back into the playoffs. Josh has them down as starting the campaign in a positive manner against a Stoke City side that looks short at this point in the window and desperately needs recruitment in forward areas.

1. Stoke vs Coventry Tip 1: Ellis Simms to Score 
2. Stoke vs Coventry Tip 2: Coventry City Asian Handicap +0.25
3. Stoke vs Coventry Tip 3: Under 2.5 Goals

2024/25 Season Preview on The Football Betting Pod: Abundant Ante-Post Angles

We’re back, as host Daniel Jenkins is joined by bettingexpert Football Editor, Sam Ingram, and bettingexpert contributor, Jack Wright, who serve up fifteen selections between them.

The pair take a forensic look at the ante-post outright betting markets with the aim of serving up a number of value selections ahead of the return of domestic football in the Premier League, Championship, League One and Two.

Stoke vs Coventry Prediction 1: Simms on the Scoresheet

England, Championship, Saturday, August 10th, 12:30 (UK)

Ellis Simms proved himself to be a championship-level striker last year, and the FA Cup semi-finalists had a positive season overall. However, the team’s lack of wins in their last six fixtures took its toll, and they Finished ninth, nine points off the playoffs.

With the team’s goal set on reaching the playoffs, Simms is poised to play a pivotal role. His impressive performance last year, with 19 goals in 53 appearances, including 13 in the league, for the Sky Blues, underscores his potential impact on the team’s success heading into this campaign.

The last two years have shown a clear positive career progression and improvement in his game. He scored seven league goals for Sunderland in limited minutes and then improved to his total last year. Given his past performance, there’s every reason to believe that Simms will continue to shine this year. What could be a more promising start than him scoring a goal in the opening fixture away from home?

Progression

Simms scored away at the Bet365 Stadium in February in a 1-0 win, and I can see him repeating this. At the back end of last year, he was a player who showed his class after a relatively poor goal haul before Christmas. So, if he gets off to a good start, he has every chance of being the Sky Blues’ leading man throughout the year.

The 23-year-old striker made 46 appearances last year and started in 30. He took 65 shots across the season, averaging 2.15 shots per 90 minutes on the pitch. Of the 65 shots, 36 were on target, meaning he took 1.19 shots on target per 90 minutes, putting him in the 95th percentile in the league. This shows just how ready he is to get shot away and troubles the keeper more often than not when he takes his chance, which is precisely what I’m expecting on Saturday.

• Stoke vs Coventry Prediction 1: Ellis Simms to Score (TRACKED BET)
• Best Odds: 3.40
• Bookmaker: Bet365
• Stake: 10/10

Stoke vs Coventry Prediction 2: Sky Blues to Avoid Defeat

Mark Robins, the longest-serving man in the Championship, leads the Sky Blues into another season. The ending to the league campaign is not what Coventry wanted, especially after losing in the playoff final the year prior, but form slumped in the back end, and they slipped out of the running. Most clubs would love to do what they did in their FA Cup run, but when in the Championship, that volume of extra games almost always hurts league form.

Losing Callum O’Hare is a tough blow for Coventry, but he didn’t feature as heavily as they would have liked last year due to injury. The other departures aren’t a huge loss due to the good business they have done, highlighted in the form of Jack Rudoni from Huddersfield—a multi-purpose midfielder who can play behind the striker, chipping in with goals and assists as he did last year or as a dynamic box-to-box midfielder.

The other additions include the exciting winger Ephron Mason-Clark from Peterborough United. He contributed 14 goals and seven assists last year and is ready to step up after two high-performing years in League One. The squad has also been bolstered with the signings of Raphael Borges Rodrigues from Australian A-League side Macarthur FC and the re-signing of centre-half Luis Binks on a permanent deal from Bologna. These additions have not only improved the squad but also added much-needed depth.

Expecting a tight affair between the two teams, getting the draw onside for Coventry was appealing due to the unpredictability of sides in the opening few fixtures before they develop an identity of play and patterns emerge.

• Stoke vs Coventry Prediction 2: Coventry City Asian Handicap +0.25 (TRACKED BET)
• Best Odds: 1.890
• Bookmaker: Bet365
• Stake: 8/10

Stoke vs Coventry Prediction 3: Goals to be at a Premium

EFL goal averages were up across the board last year, and with the Championships at 2.63 goals per game, up from the previous year’s 2.43, this trend has every chance to continue, but I’m not sure this opening fixture will be laden with goals.

Stokes’s new striker, Sam Gallagher, has picked up a slight knock in the final pre-season friendly. It’s still being determined if he will feature on Saturday. The likelihood is that Niall Ennis will be up top, a striker who has yet to show to be good enough at this level, with one measly goal across his few minutes last season. I’m not sure they have many goals in this team. It’s a side that only scored 49 in the whole of last year, with its top scorer boasting six among a lack of goal threats.

Where do the goals come from?

Where will the goals come from across the other areas of the side? Who is capable of sharing the goal-scoring load? You cannot begin a season with Lyden Gooch as a starting wideman and expect to cause teams problems. The issues should be evident at the Bet365 Stadium on Saturday, where chances might be at a premium. If so, I don’t fancy Stoke’s men to capitalise as I do with Coventry’s frontmen if given a chance.

I expect Coventry to score, but it won’t be a high-scoring game. This opening fixture could turn into a real tactical battle, with both sides fighting to avoid defeat on their first time back rather than looking to rack up the goals.

With the price at 2.00 for a time of season when some teams might still be a bit disjointed and lacking proper fitness in competitive fixtures, it’s a perfect time to attack the ‘unders’ market with only one team that looks like a threat going forward.

• Stoke vs Coventry Prediction 3: Under 2.5 Goals
• Best Odds: 2.00
• Bookmaker: Bet365
• Stake: 5/10

Stoke vs Coventry  Prediction odds via Bet365 as at 09:00, August 7th, 2024. Odds may now differ.

Stoke vs Coventry Team News and Possible Lineups: New signings and slight knocks

Stoke’s new striker Sam Gallagher was forced off in their last preseason game, with Steven Schumacher saying,  “I am not sure; he just said that he felt his calf. It was tightening up a bit during that first half. He sat down pretty much straight away as he did it, so fingers crossed it’s not too serious, but he came off with a stiff calf.” Apart from this, with no other Significant concerns, full debuts are expected for Viktor Johansson in net and Ben Gibson at the heart of the defence.

Coventry has a couple of slight injury issues at the start of this season, and two of the main players from last season will likely miss out. Ben Sheaf would start if he were fully fit, but his ankle injury has cast doubt over his ability to feature at the weekend. Eccles and Allen impressed against Everton last week, so I wouldn’t be shocked to see them start in the middle.

Haji Wright got 15 minutes in the tank on his return from an ankle injury, but it’s far too soon for him to be in contention to start, so Simms should lead the line.

Stoke City possible starting lineup: Johansson; Tchamadeu, Wilmot, Gibson, Bocat; Burger, Laurent; Gooch, Thompson, Manhoef; Ennis

Coventry City possible starting lineup: Dovin; van Ewijk, Thomas, Binks, JBidwell;  Eccles, JAllen;  Rudoni; Sakamoto, Simms, Mason-Clark

Stoke vs Coventry Match Stats: The Potters struggle against the Sky Blues

• This fixture has seen under 2.5 goal land in five of the last six games
• Since Coventry’s return to the championship they have only lost once to Stoke in eight matches
• Stoke’s top scorer last year had six goals only two other sides had the same as joint lowest which were Cardiff and relegated Rotherham.
• Coventry are 6th favourite to be promoted and Stoke are 9th.

Stoke City Fixtures: Tough run of fixtures

• Vs Coventry City (H)
• Vs Watford  (A)
• Vs West Brom (H)
• Vs Plymouth  (A)
• Vs Oxford United  (H)

Coventry City Fixtures: Chance to build momentum early on

• Vs Stoke City (A)
• Vs Oxford United  (H)
• Vs Bristol City (A)
• Vs Norwich city (H)
• Vs Watford (A)

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