Stoke City and Manchester United look to serve up an antidote to our Christmas hangovers as they do battle at the Britannia Stadium. The Potters have tasted victory just once in four outings, while the Red Devils enter this match-up off the back of consecutive defeats to newly promoted outfits.
Despite ranking third for big chances (10) over the last four Gameweeks, Stoke notched just three goals across that stretch. Indeed, the Potters’ convincing victory over Manchester City looks to be an outlier, given that they were bested by Sunderland and Crystal Palace either side of that encounter. On the defensive end, Mark Hughes’ men have conceded four goals and the joint-least big chances (three) since Gameweek 14. However, Man United will draw encouragement from the fact their opponents also placed third for shots inside the box conceded (36).
Only three teams carded fewer goals (three) than Louis van Gaal’s outfit over the last four Gameweeks, while only Norwich City (eight) managed fewer shots on target (10). Even though they’ve embarked on one more road trip than half the field, Man United still rank fourth-bottom for attempts (88) in away matches, which bodes well for the hosts’ clean-sheet prospects. Conversely, they chart third for big chances (18) beyond Old Trafford, which suggests that a slight calibration could enhance their attacking output. Maybe dropping Wayne Rooney to the bench is that required tweak.
