Hull City make the trip to face Stoke City on Sunday afternoon looking to extend their unbeaten record in the Championship to seven matches.
At a time when the Tigers start the weekend in sixth position in the standings, Stoke are down in 19th spot after a drop off in form.
Match preview
After the early momentum generated from victories within three days of each other at the start of the season, Stoke now look like they possess the same characteristics as their frustrating 2022-23.
That is despite the mass changes that have been made to the squad, and a run of just four points being accumulated from the last six matches has left Alex Neil under growing pressure.
To Stoke's credit, they found a way to recover from going behind at Huddersfield Town in midweek to earn a 2-2 draw that stopped a streak of three defeats without scoring a goal.
Nevertheless, the Potters fanbase expected so much more from this group of players, particularly when they hit the ground running with wins over Rotherham United and West Bromwich Albion in two different competitions.
On a positive note, they have collected six points from three fixtures at the bet365 Stadium, with the solitary loss coming at the hands of leaders Preston North End.
Stoke would have anticipated making the kind of start that has been made by Hull, who continue to impress under Liam Rosenior.
An opportunity was missed to defeat 10-man Leeds United in midweek, particularly when Adama Traore squandered the chance to convert into an open goal during the closing stages.
However, the Tigers have now put together a run of three wins and three defeats since losing on the opening weekend of the season, a period which has included an away success at Leicester City.
Rosenior will not get ahead of himself with consecutive draws being posted at the MKM Stadium, but Hull make the visit to the Potteries looking to register their third away win in a row.
Team News
Neil must decide whether to stick with the 3-5-2 setup that he deployed in midweek, one which potentially took Huddersfield off guard with Daniel Johnson operating as a wing-back.
Jordan Thompson is an option in midfield if Neil wishes to introduce fresh legs, while Wesley may be recalled to add more of a physical presence in attack.
Ki-Jana Hoever could return to the squad after narrowly missing out on Wednesday, but Andre Vidigal and Ryan Mmaee may require more time to come back into the fold.
Rosenior could be content to select the same Hull XI that started the stalemate with Leeds, but he does have options available if he wants a different approach.
Ozan Tufan came through a 19-minute outing as a substitute after injury and may be used in a creative role behind Liam Delap or Aaron Connolly.
However, Liverpool loanee Tyler Morton could have to remain patient for his first start in the centre of the pitch.
Stoke City possible starting lineup:
Travers; McNally, Rose, Wilmot; Gooch, Laurent, Pearson, Burger, Johnson; Campbell, Wesley
Hull City possible starting lineup:
Allsop; Christie, Jones, Greaves, Coyle; Slater, Seri; Twine, Tufan, Philogene; Delap
We say: Stoke City 1-2 Hull City
While Stoke are usually capable of beating any team in the Championship at home, they remain far from convincing. With that in mind, we are backing the consistency of Hull, who may edge this contest with a goal in the closing stages.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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