Manchester United are sitting at the top of the Premier League going into this weekend and with a two point advantage over the chasing pack they will want to keep that. I am sure Jose Mourinho loves setting the pace and he will want to keep his team at the top of the table for as long as possible, being able to look down on his rivals will give him great pleasure.
Stoke have started the season with a great win over Arsenal at home and they followed that up with a good point away from home against West Brom. They will be looking to keep up the good run they are on, although with the league leaders coming to visit, it is going to be very tough for him.
Stoke Form
The international break probably came at the wrong time for Stoke, after they won and drew their two games before the break. The win over Arsenal gave them a great confidence boost and you could see that in their game at West Brom. That was an equally good result for then, West Brom are a very tough team to beat at home and not many teams will go there and take three points off them.
The victory over Arsenal will have given Stoke a belief that they can beat a top team and that is vital in the Premier League. Often a lot of teams lose to the big clubs before they even kick off, because they don’t believe they can win the game. That Arsenal victory will give Stoke a belief and they need to head into the game holding on to that if they are to have any chance of victory.
Manchester United Form
It has been a very impressive start for Manchester United and perhaps the most impressive thing has been how good they have been at both ends of the field. I expected them to be good at one end, but to score ten goals in three games and show great attacking force, alongside not conceding a goal in their opening games is something special.
The biggest change for me with Manchester United is that this looks to be Jose Mourinho’s team and he looks to be very happy with them. Last season he was in charge but didn’t really have the players he wanted at the club, something that he has now. They look to have a great belief in each other and they also look very focused this season, even at this early stage they look sure to challenge for the Premier League title.
Team News
A player at Stoke I can’t wait to see more of is Jese Rodriguez, who joined the club from PSG. He has played twice for them, being thrown straight into the starting eleven, but now he has had the international break to acclimatise I think we will see even more from him. He looks to have a touch of class and is the sort of player they need and I think he is going to be a hit at Stoke.
It’s tough picking out someone from Manchester United after they have been so impressive all across the field. I expect Stoke to make this game as difficult as possible for United and they are going to try and limit the chances they give them. That means anything that comes the way of Romelu Lukaku has to be put away, because he may only get one or two chances in this game.
Top Betting Tips
I think this is going to be a very tight game and Stoke are going to make this a difficult day for Manchester United. I expect us to watch a tight, low scoring game with only a handful of chances but the key for me is that Manchester United have a man in attack who only needs one chance to score and that is Romelu Lukaku.
I am going to back Manchester United to win the game, although I am going to pick out a correct score because the normal win market offers little value. The score I am going to back is 1-0 to Manchester United, which can be backed at 6/1 with William Hill and Ladbrokes.
I think the game will be tight, and Stoke will make it difficult for the league leaders. However, I think in Romelu Lukaku, Manchester United have a match winner and all he needs is one chance, I think he will get that and win the game for them.