STOKE v ASTON VILLA – Pick: 1 – 16 August 2014

Potters to see off shaky Villians

Premier League Tips

Football – England – Premier League

Saturday 16th August 2014 – Kickoff: 1500hrs

Mark Hughes’ Stoke City have been handed a home fixture for the first match of the new Premiership season against an Aston Villa side whom they did the ‘double’ over last season.

There were doubts amongst the Potters faithful that Mark ‘Sparky’ Hughes would be able to continue the good work that former manager Tony Pulls had carried out, but Hughes soon won over the noisy Stoke crowd as they saw their team beaten on home turf on just three occasions all season.

An overall home record of  10-6-3  27/17 contributed to Stoke’s best top flight finish for some time, but I’m sure Hughes will be keen to improve upon their performances on their travels as they’d secured only three wins away from the Britannia Stadium.

But back to facts pertinent to today’s fixture and The Potters beat Villa 2-1 at home and 4-1 away last season and with new additions such as former Barcelona forward Krkic and midfielder Sidwell complementing the likes of Odemwingie and Crouch up front, Stoke look a solid bet to comfortably avoid any relegation dramas.

 

Aston Villa meanwhile continue to just about tread water although on a few occasions it was feared they may well sink down into the Championship on the back of a very disappointing campaign. Despite finishing just five points above the bottom three clubs, manager Paul Lambert has retained his job but the arrival of former Sunderland boss Roy Keane will no doubt have the Scot nervously looking over his shoulder both on and off the field.

The latest rumour is that defender Ron Vlaar is unsettled and wants a move away from the club (much like the owner Randy Lerner), while Villa’s midfield looks a bit lightweight despite the signings of Joe Cole and Kieran Richardson.

Up front, much will depend again on Benteke but Lambert will have to do without the services of the Belgian striker until at least October according to reports, so Darren Bent will have an opportunity to cement his place in the side following a move from Fulham.

 

Stoke were by far the more consistent of the two sides last season and with their new signings at a noisy Britannia Stadium, I’ll back the hosts to get off the mark with all three points here this afternoon – 2-1 to Stoke.

Pick: Stoke City straight win @ 1.95 Coral