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Manchester United will seek to get three wins in a row for the first time this Premier League season when they host a struggling Stoke City side at Old Trafford.
I have been very critical of Manchester United this season and I still think Van Gaal can not lead this club to glory, but the fact of the matter is United is riding a two game winning streak – a shaky win at Arsenal was backed up by a really solid performance at home against Hull, resulting in a 3-0 win. The hosts have their fair share of problems, especially with the injuries in the defensive area, but they have been surprisingly good at the back and the offense is starting to click as well.
Stoke managed to lose against Liverpool last round (1-0), which is actually a bad sign for any team in the Premier League right now. The visitors were previously defeated 1-2 at home by lowly Burnley so things are not looking good at all for Mark Hughes’ side, especially since they are dealing with a couple of injuries to important players. However, Stoke is a good side, I reckon they can finish Top 10 and on their day they can frustrate top teams, especially at home – though this season Stoke has been better than usual on the road.
Bet on Man United vs. Stoke City with the best handicap odds at Pinnacle Sports.
Team news & lineups:
United still with a lot of injuries, but the big news is Angel Di Maria will miss this game. Falco might start, Rojo is back. Otherwise regarding team news, Rafael, Bling, Shaw, Jones, Lingard and Wilson are out, Evans will probably miss the game as well and Rooney is slightly doubtful but he will almost surely start. Stoke will have to do without Odemwingie, Whelan, Huth, Moses, Sidwell and possibly Bardsley.
Manchester United: De Gea – Smalling, Blakett, Rojo – Young, Carrick, Fellaini, Valencia – Mata (Falcao) Rooney, Van Persie.
Stoke City: Begovic – Bardsley, Cameron, Shawcross, Pieters – Walters, Nzonzi, Bojan, Adam – Crouch, Diouf.
Despite a bad start to the season, Manchester United is 4th in the league and has a 5-1-1 record at home – I Reckon they`ll get another win tonight. I`m still not sold on the Red Devils but they have improved and clearly beat Hull over the weekend, when I was expecting them to fail. Their biggest advantage however is meeting a team that is out of form right now, missing a lot of important players. Stoke does not have the same depth as United and will be badly hurt by all the injuries – I expect the hosts to put on a decent performance here and that should be enough to put at least two goals past stoke. My tip is Manchester United to win and cover the 1,25 goal handicap. I`m pushing a little bit with 9 units here, but I feel the odds on this bet are worth it – Stoke is just not a good team right now. Prediction: Manchester United – Stoke City 3-0.
Pick: Manchester United (-1,25 Asian Handicap)
Odds: 2.04 @ Pinnacle
Stake: 9
Possible profit: 9.36
Event date: 2 December
