Bet up to £30 risk-free on Stoke success
Since recovering from a shaky start, Stoke have managed to maintain a healthy distance between themselves and the relegation zone but ahead of their Monday night clash with struggling West Brom, they suddenly only boast a five-point advantage over the bottom three.
The Potters won't be panicking too much because sitting in 11th place, there are still plenty of teams separating them from the thick of the scrap for survival and they remain just seven points shy of the magic number 40, yet a run of four defeats in five has been enough to cause Tony Pulis and co minor discomfort.
Another thing that the Potters will take confidence from is that all four of their recent losses, in which they failed to register a single goal, were suffered on the road, whereas they have won three on the spin at the Britannia, including their last televised clash against slumping Sunderland.
Stoke regularly raise their game in front of the cameras and by our reckoning have won five, drawn one and lost one - against leaders Manchester United - on the box, averaging 2.29 points a game in those fixtures compared to 0.85 points when not in front of a global audience, a staggering difference. They are [1.98] to deliver again.
Thanks to our special offer for those opening new Betfair accounts, you can bet up to £30 on this match or anything else that catches your eye within seven days of signing up and any losing wagers will be refunded, so there's no absolutely no risk involved.
West Brom have lost five in succession on their travels but if you expect new boss Roy Hodgson to amend that then odds of [4.8] are available for a loss-proof bet on the visitors, though given that the Baggies have drawn three in four, that would appear a more likely outcome at [3.5].
Stoke v West Brom
Kick-off: 8pm
Live on Sky Sports 1
John Carew nearly joined West Brom in January, and has netted two in two at home so far for Stoke, so could prove a shrewd first goalscorer bet at [6.8]...
Published: 28 Feb 2011
Horace Horlicks (February 28, 2011 11:18 AM) said:
I think if Stoke can lump the ball up to their big lump of a centre-forward they could end up in Carew's control. But on the other hand if Bodgson's Baggies can show the battling qualities of his previous team Fulham,they can force a 0-0 draw. That's my tip 0-0.