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Manchester United welcomes Stoke City this Saturday at Old Trafford. After two weeks of international break the Red Devils are back and will be heading into a busy schedule. I hope the players recover on time and their tiredness does not show in the game on Saturday. We all know that Stoke is a physical team and they have very strong players, and any kind of tiredness or lack in concentration will definitely be punished. United will play Braga in their Champions league tie on the 23rd.
After 7 games Manchester United are 2nd on the table with 15 points, but they have the current champions breathing down their neck with the same number of points. It has been a difficult start to the premier league for United with 2 losses in 6 games. Any further slip up might cost United their dream of winning the 20th title at the end, and I am sure that Sir Alex Ferguson and the players have learnt their lesson in a harsh way last season.
Stoke City are currently 12th in the league with 8 points. Although they have lost only 1 game, they have drawn 5 and have been able to muster only 1 win. These draws include teams like Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool. They will be eager to add another win and 3 points to their tally. Stoke have however not beaten United in their last 5 clashes.
Chris Smalling and Ashley Young have returned to full training and might make the cut for this Saturday’s match following their injuries. Phil Jones too doesn’t seem to be too far away from a return. With the defense returning to its full strength United might stop giving away silly goals and throwing matches away. Michael Owen however might not be able to stand against United as he seems to have picked up a blow.
If Tottenham are able to subdue the Blues on Saturday and the Red Devils are able to find the back of the net with a similar performance against Newcastle then United would be cutting down the gap to just 1 or 2 points. This is definitely not going to be a walk in the park.
