Manchester United will make the short journey to Stoke on Saturday evening to take on Mark Hughes’s Stoke City side at the Ladbrokes Stadium. Jose Mourinho will be aiming to continue Manchester United’s 100% start to the season in which they have scored 10 times without conceding. Stoke City have already beaten Arsenal at home this season though, so Mourinho will not have everything his way.
When: 5:30PM, Saturday, September 9th, 2017
Where: Ladbrokes Stadium, Stoke, England
Stoke City
Stoke City have picked up four points from their opening three games and currently find themselves sitting in 11th place in the table. Mark Hughes side followed up that 1-0 win over Arsenal with a battling 1-1 draw away at West Bromwich Albion. Many people tipped Hughes to be the first man to face the sack this season, but his side have started solidly and look like they will be tough to beat this season. In Jese Rodriguez they have a man capable of causing any defence problems and Manchester United’s backline will have to keep a close eye on the former PSG man. Centre back Kevin Wimmer was a deadline day signing from Tottenham Hotspur and he could make his debut on Saturday evening.
Manchester United
Manchester United come into this game in perfect form having picked up a third successive victory against Leicester City last time out. Everything seems to be going smoothly at Old Trafford at the moment; Romelu Lukaku has hit the ground running, Paul Pogba finally appears to be finding his feet and the defence look solid. Mourinho will be hoping that continues this weekend against a dogged Stoke City side. Ashley Young and Luke Shaw stepped up their recovery from injury during the international break and so they could feature in the match day squad on Saturday. Other than that, Mourinho has no fresh injury worries.
Talking Points
- Stoke City held Manchester United to two 1-1 draws last season, so Jose Mourinho will be desperate to secure a win against a bogey team for him.
- Manchester United have scored three set piece goals in their first three games. Last season they only scored seven across the whole campaign.
- Can Stoke City score the first goal Manchester United have conceded this season? The Red Devils are yet to concede a goal in the Premier League.
Prediction
I fancy Manchester United to pick up another routine victory in this game. Despite Stoke City beating Arsenal a couple of weeks ago, I don’t think they have enough quality to cause this Manchester United team many problems. The Manchester United midfield trio of Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic and Ander Herrerra is just too strong and I think they will dominate the game.
Betting Tips (Ladbrokes)
Manchester United start this one as 1/2 favourites to pick up the victory, whilst a home victory for Stoke City is available at 6/1 and the draw is 3/1. The 11/8 available on Manchester United to win and BTTS (NO) looks like a decent bet, whilst the 3/1 on Romelu Lukaku to open the scoring also takes my fancy. Following his goal for England vs Slovakia though, I’m going to go for Marcus Rashford to score at anytime – 11/8. The young forward has looked lively every time I’ve watched him this season and you’d fancy him to cause the Stoke City defence all sorts of problems with his pace on Saturday evening.
Marcus Rashford to Score at Anytime – 11/8 (Ladbrokes)