Stoke vs Manchester United Prediction and Preview – 26/12/15
Premier League preview – Stoke vs Manchester United prediction
Stoke manager Mark Hughes is expecting to bolster the squad with Geoff Cameron, Stephen Ireland and Peter Crouch due to be available at some point over the busy Christmas period. There is no news on a return date for Marc Muniesa who returned to the treatment room last week with what is believed to be the same hamstring injury that has kept the defender sidelined since last October. Goalkeeper Shay Given continues on the road to recovery from a knee injury.
Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney will be hopeful of a more influential contribution after his four attempts on goal failed to find the mark in his come back against Norwich at the weekend. Full back Matteo Darmian is close to return from his hamstring problem but may not be risked in the Boxing Day fixture. Midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger will serve the last of his three-game ban for violent conduct while elsewhere on the injury front, Jesse Lingard (hamstring), Marcos Rojo (shoulder), Antonio Valencia (ankle) and Luke Shaw (broken leg) continue to be sidelined.
Possible Line-ups
Stoke: 4-2-3-1 formation: Butland; Johnson, Shawcross, Wollscheid, Pieters; Van Ginkel, Whelan; Shaqiri, Afellay, Arnautovic; Bojan
Manchester United: 4-2-3-1 formation: De Gea; Varela, Smalling, Blind, Young; Carrick, Fellaini; Mata, Rooney, Depay; Martial
Statistics
- Stoke have won 4 drawn 3 and lost 3 of their last 10 matches
- Manchester United have won 3, drawn 4 and lost 3 of their last 10 matches
- Over the course of their previous 10 matches, Stoke have scored an average of 0.8 goals and conceded an average of 0.7 goals per game
- Over the course of their previous 10 matches, Manchester United have scored an average of 1 goal and conceded an average of 0.9 goals per game
- There have been over 2.5 goals scored in 1 of Stoke’s previous 10 matches
- There have been over 2.5 goals scored in 4 of Manchester United’s previous 10 matches
Prediction
Stoke have lost four league games at home this season, most recently on Saturday when Chung-Yong Lee’s 88th minute goal gave Crystal Palace a 2-1 victory. Mark Hughes’ men had kept clean sheets in their previous three games, defeating Sheffield Wednesday 2-0 in the League Cup, Manchester City 2-0 at home in the Premier League and playing a 0-0 draw at West Ham in the league. The inability to convert their chances has proved costly for Stoke who have scored 8 and conceded 9 in 8 league games at the Brittania Stadium this term.
Manchester United have gone six games without a win and what had been the best defence in the Premier League has shipped 7 goals in the last three. The Red Devils lost 3-2 when crashing out of the Champions League at Wolfsburg before losing 2-1 at Bournemouth and 2-1 at home to Norwich in the league. Louis Van Gaal remains without his first choice full backs and must quickly find a way to stop leaking goals while hoping Wayne Rooney returns to his best form.
The safety first approach of Stoke and Manchester United points to another low scoring game. Both managers will be hoping for a win to shake off the disappointment of recent defeats but may have to settle for a point here.
Tips
Under 2.5 goals at 8/11 with Sky Bet
Draw at 9/4 with bet365
Correct score 1-1 at 6/1 with BetVictor
What are your predictions?
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