English Premier
2014-12-02 - Manchester United vs Stoke City
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Tuesday 2 December 2014 Kick Off 7:45pm
Manchester United
Louis Van Gaal described the performance against Hull City as the 'best of the season' for Manchester United as they dismissed their visitors 3-0 at Old Trafford on Saturday. It was certainly one of the most comfortable wins that Manchester United have had this season and they will look to ride that result into this one on Tuesday which is played in front of the home supporters once again.
In a tight Premier League table, Manchester United will be very pleased with their 4th place current position despite not playing that well for much of the season. The next month will give Van Gaal much more of an idea of where his Manchester United side are, beginning with improving their record of 5-1-1 at Old Trafford where they have scored 14 goals and conceded 5.
Manchester United have won 3 games in a row in the Premier League since their 1-0 loss at Manchester City and that includes winning back to back home games since the 1-1 draw with Chelsea. The side have won 5 of their last 6 games at Old Trafford and will be expected to improve those numbers after this game.
Angel Di Maria has picked up a hamstring concern and is expected to miss this game, but Wayne Rooney should overcome his own knock. There are no new injury concerns for Louis Van Gaal to consider.
Stoke City
It has been a tough stretch for Mark Hughes and his Stoke City side with inconsistencies and injuries blighting their season so far, although the side remain away from the relegation troubles for the time being. In a League table where there is so much fluidity, Stoke City will be hoping to get something out of this game to make sure they are not being dragged towards the bottom of the table.
The Potters dropped to 12th in the Premier League table following the results over the last weekend and Stoke City are now just 5 points clear of Leicester City at the bottom of the table. They bring in a 2-2-3 away record from their League games heading into this one, scoring 7 goals and conceding 9 in those games.
Stoke City were beaten by a late Glen Johnson goal at Liverpool over the weekend and they have now won just 1 of their last 6 games in all competitions. The defeat to Liverpool also means Stoke have lost back to back League games and 4 of their last 6 games overall. Stoke City have lost 3 of their last 4 away games in the Premier League following the loss at Anfield.
Phil Bardsley could return to the squad to face one of his former clubs, but Glenn Whelan and Steve Sidwell are expected to join a long injury list.
Head to Head
Stoke City snapped a run of 13 games without a win over Manchester United by beating them 2-1 at the Brittania Stadium last season.
However, Manchester United beat Stoke 3-2 at Old Trafford and have won 11 in a row at home against them.
Prediction
Momentum- I spoke about momentum that Manchester United could potentially be building if they could beat Hull City on Saturday and there does seem to be an improved confidence in the squad heading into this one. Another victory over Stoke City at Old Trafford will make it 4 wins on the bounce for Louis Van Gaal and he was correct in his assessment about the performance against Hull City being the 'best of the season'.
Losing Angel Di Maria is a blow as he is the one player that can make something happen by beating a player or two with his dribbling and pace, but Wayne Rooney should be passed fit and Robin Van Persie could potentially be set to go on a positive run in front of goal.
Even without Di Maria, there is still a lot of attacking talent in the Manchester United squad and it could be a tough day for the Stoke City players who put so much into their loss at Liverpool on Saturday. With the amount of injuries that Stoke City are dealing with, Mark Hughes won't be able to make too many changes to those that played their hearts out at Anfield and tiredness is potentially a factor in this game.
Manchester United also played on Saturday, but it was an 'easier' day in the office for them. Louis Van Gaal also has the benefit of a couple of extra days to prepare for the Southampton game following this one and I think a strong United line up will be too much for Stoke to handle.
This has usually been a fixture from which Manchester United take three points and I think the effort that Stoke put into the last game at Liverpool might have an affect on their energy levels in this one. With the three wins in a row under their belt, I look or Manchester United to secure another one and likely to come by a couple of goals at least.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Manchester United 2-0 Stoke City
