Match Preview: Stoke City vs Man United

James. M
Sep 8, 2017
4 min read

We are back in Premier League action after the first international break of the season with a visit to the Bet 365 stadium on the cards.

The match kicks off at 7:30 PM EAT time and will be live on BT Sport and here is a streaming link we always like to give you. (http://cricfree.sc).

You can also follow live updates from our official Twitter handle @uniteddamu and our Facebook page @uniteddamu.

How's facing Stoke like?

Any Premier League team will tell you it's always a tough ask going to Stoke, just ask Arsenal who are the latest victims of beating by Stoke just before the International break.

To put this into perspective, United haven't won a game there since April 2013 when Michael Carrick and Robin Van Persie scored in a 2-0 win.

United haven't won at Stoke in four seasons, since 2013

Mourinho will be hoping to pick up 3 points from a team that held us to draws in both league games last season, the latter one seeing Rooney score his historic 250th United strike.

Both teams form?

United are in sparkling form after winning the first three league games scoring 10 goals and conceding none.

After a positive international break that saw Romelu Lukaku and Marcus Rashford continue their rich vein of form, United will look to keep the explosive start to the season going.

On the other hand, Stoke City have had mixed results so far, beating Arsenal, drawing with West Brom and losing to Everton.

They sit 11th in the early league standings and could be boosted by the arrival of new signing Kevin Wimmer from Tottenham last week,

Bojan Krkic and Gianelli Imbula will not feature on Saturday, as they have both left the club on loan to Alaves and Toulouse respectively.

Any team news?

The Reds could welcome defender Luke Shaw and Ashley Young to the match day squad after they both stepped up their recoverins by playing for the youth team before the international break.

Marcos Rojo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic remain way off match-fitness although they could be back for the busy Christmas period.

For the hosts, former Red Devils Darren Fletcher and Mame Biram Diouf could return to face their former side after recovering from minor knee injuries while another former Red defender Ryan Shawcross will miss out with a back problem.

Stoke can also make with the return of Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting who has recovered from a niggling hamstring injury.

How is our head to head record?

Historically, as expected United have the upper hand having won 43, drawn 35 and lost 28 of our 106 meetings with the Potters in all competitions stretching back to 1893. But the Reds have dominated this fixture since Stoke's promotion in 2008 with 12 wins from 18 Premier League games.

Manager and Player talk:

With Jose Mourinho taking his press conference later today (Friday), let's catch up with what former United striker and Stoke manager Mark Hughes had to say about the match.

He said, "Man United have gone about their business in impressive fashion so far. You look at their squad and they are strong and technically good.

" We have shown we can beat a top six team already this season and hopefully we will get the same sort of result tomorrow.

"When you go up against the likes of United you need to show all your qualities to secure a result which is our intention.

"We will give them the respect that they deserve clearly, but sometimes the best way to do that is to get about them and ask questions."

Man United's Ander Herrera speaking to MUTV ahead of the match stressed the need to continue the good form in the league and to put up a similar fight against Stoke.

"The Premier League is very long and every team can beat you," Herrera told MUTV.

"Now we have to face Stoke, and we've had four seasons without winning there. It's been a good way to start [the campaign] but we cannot relax.

"We are ready to face them and, hopefully, the weather is not so bad there because, when it is bad, it is very difficult to play. We are ready. No excuses - let's try to win there. We are Manchester United, so we are not scared.

Wayne Rooney scored his last and record breaking 250th goal last season at Stoke

"Always, against Manchester United, every team or every fan of the opponent are waiting for us. It's a big day for us. We have to be equal to their attitude and then we have to show our quality. The first thing is the attitude. The atmosphere is going to be against us, but that is normal."

United embark on a busy September that will see us play 7 games in 22 days as the Champions League and League Cup games return.

It promises to be a super weekend with some mouth-watering clashes here and there especially after an international break that many dislike.

He are the other weekend Premier League fixtures:

Saturday 9 September (5:00 PM EAT unless otherwise stated)

Manchester City v Liverpool (2:30) Arsenal v AFC Bournemouth Brighton and Hove Albion v West Bromwich Albion Everton v Tottenham Hotspur Leicester City v Chelsea Southampton v Watford