Stoke City welcome Hull City to the Bet365 Stadium in Stoke for a Carabao Cup fixture on August 25, 2026, with kick-off scheduled for 18:45 local time. The hosts entered the competition with a 2-0 first-round victory over Oldham Athletic, while Hull begin their campaign at this stage. Both teams arrive after contrasting results on August 22: Stoke suffered a 3-1 defeat against Southampton, whereas Hull recorded a 2-0 win over Manchester United. Recent meetings add another layer of intrigue, particularly because Hull have performed strongly on their latest visits to Stoke despite losing six of the last ten clashes overall.

Stoke City Recent Form and Key Statistics

Stoke City are looking for greater consistency after following their successful start in the Carabao Cup with consecutive league defeats. The Potters opened their cup campaign by beating Oldham Athletic 2-0, but then lost 2-1 against Swansea before going down 3-1 to Southampton. Those two setbacks mean the hosts enter this tie under pressure to produce a more controlled performance.

Across their last five matches, Stoke have collected two wins, one draw and two defeats. They have averaged 1.2 goals scored and 1.2 conceded per game over that sequence, illustrating an evenly balanced recent record. Their Carabao Cup numbers are more encouraging: one match, one victory, an average of 2.0 goals scored and no goals conceded. That clean sheet came during the first-round success over Oldham.

Goals have been a reliable feature of Stoke's fixtures. Their last 18 matches have all produced over 1.5 total goals, while the same outcome has occurred in each of their previous 13 home games. The second half has also consistently delivered at least one goal at this venue, with over 0.5 second-half goals recorded in Stoke's last 13 home matches. Across all locations, 21 of their previous 23 games have contained a goal after half-time.

Those trends suggest that the Potters' recent matches rarely remain completely closed. However, Stoke must improve on the defensive outcome of their latest two games, in which Swansea and Southampton scored a combined five goals. The challenge is to reproduce the balance shown against Oldham, when Stoke scored twice while keeping their opponents off the scoresheet.

Hull City Recent Form and Key Statistics

Hull City travel to this Carabao Cup match with momentum from a 2-0 victory against Manchester United on August 22. That result marked their return to the Premier League after a decade away and provides an encouraging platform before their first appearance in this season's cup competition. Hull will now attempt to carry the confidence from that result into another away meeting with Stoke.

The visitors have recorded two wins, two draws and one defeat across their last five matches. During that period, they averaged 1.0 goal scored and only 0.8 conceded per fixture. The defensive figure is especially notable when compared with Stoke's run of matches featuring at least two total goals, creating an important contrast between the hosts' goal-heavy pattern and Hull's relatively modest recent averages.

Hull have also avoided going into the interval behind in 18 of their last 20 matches. That record points to a side that has generally remained competitive through the opening half, although it does not by itself determine whether the first 45 minutes will contain goals. Only two of Hull's last ten matches finished with under 0.5 total goals, so a completely goalless contest has been uncommon over that sample.

The visitors can take further encouragement from their recent away record in this fixture. Hull are unbeaten on their last four trips to face Stoke and won the latest three of those visits. The most recent head-to-head meeting ended in a 1-0 victory for Hull City on January 1, 2026. Nevertheless, the broader five-match head-to-head summary gives Stoke three wins and Hull two, with no draws, while Stoke averaged 1.4 goals scored and 1.2 conceded.

Stoke City vs Hull City Match Analysis

The available evidence presents a closely balanced Carabao Cup contest. Stoke have home advantage and already own a victory in the competition, but their two successive defeats have interrupted that positive opening. Hull, by contrast, arrive immediately after a clean-sheet win and have avoided defeat on each of their last four visits to Stoke.

The win probabilities underline how difficult the match is to separate. Stoke City are rated at 39%, compared with 36% for Hull City and 25% for the draw. The decimal match odds take a different view, listing Stoke at 3.10, the draw at 3.30 and Hull at 2.30. Whichever side advances, the figures indicate that neither team should be treated as overwhelmingly dominant.

The goal markets are similarly tight. Both Teams To Score is divided evenly at 50% for Yes and 50% for No, while under 2.5 goals holds a narrow 51% probability against 49% for over 2.5. Stoke's long sequence of matches with at least two total goals supports the possibility of another contest containing goalmouth action, yet Hull's recent average of 0.8 goals conceded and their latest 2-0 win offer a reason to expect some resistance.

Much may depend on whether Stoke can disrupt Hull's strong first-half record and whether the visitors can extend their successful sequence at this ground. The Potters' consistent second-half goal trend also indicates that the match could remain active after the interval, even if the opening period is cautious. With the under 2.5-goal probability holding only a slight edge, the most coherent conclusion is a relatively controlled game in which the margins remain narrow.

Stoke City vs Hull City prediction from BetMines: Under 2.5 goals with 51% probability.