A 2-1 defeat at the hands of Coventry City in the FA Cup third round was the last straw for Mark Hughes as Stoke City manager. After Quique Sanches Flores rejected the chance to swap Espanyol for the Potters, the Premier League strugglers have opted for Paul Lambert as their next boss.
After the announcement, dabblebet go 7/4 (2.75) that Stoke, who currently sit 18th in the top flight with 20 points to their name, are relegated this season.
Having spent much of his playing career north of the border, Lambert has Premier League experience from his time in charge of Norwich and Aston Villa but faces a tough test at the bet365 Stadium. His new side have conceded an astounding 47 goals in 22 games thus far, and that has to be a key area of concern for the 48-year-old Scot with two weeks of the January transfer window already behind him.
Stoke are 14/1 (15.0) underdogs for Monday's clash with Manchester United at Old Trafford. It's 11/10 (2.10) that the visitors find the net and they can be backed at 11/2 (6.50) to take a point against Jose Mourinho's side.
Lambert's men then face a crucial run of fixtures which consists of Huddersfield (H), Watford (H), Bournemouth (A) and Brighton (H).
Four matches against teams currently 10th or lower, three of which are at home, is a golden opportunity for the Potters to make some progress up the division and away from 18th spot where they currently reside, but if they don't pull away from the drop zone in that time then things could get significantly tougher for them - especially given the calibre of opposition they face.
In their final 11 games of the Premier League campaign, Stoke face seven teams who are currently in the top half so it's imperative that Lambert hits the ground running and gets his side to pick up some much-needed victories as soon as possible. They finish the campaign with back-to-back games against Crystal Palace and Swansea, but their fans will certainly hope another year in the top tier is secured before that.
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With just 10 points separating Everton in ninth place and and bottom club Swansea, few teams can be assured of their top-flight security just yet but the Welsh side are the only odds on shots with dabblebet, who go 2/9 (1.12) that they drop into the Championship.
West Brom are Evens (2.0) despite their win at the weekend over Brighton, who come next in the betting and are level with Stoke at 7/4 (2.75) for the drop.
Huddersfield are 15/8 (2.88) to see their Premier League stay last just a single campaign then there's a significant jump in the betting to Newcastle (11/4), Southampton (5/1) and Bournemouth (6/1) who recorded a timely win over Arsenal on Sunday.
Looking ahead, dabblebet are currently Evens (2.0) about Lambert leading his side to victory over Huddersfield in his first home game in charge, but the bookmakers are far from convinced that the new man is a positive appointment for the Potters.
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