STOKE CITY
v
MANCHESTER UNITED
Britannia Stadium,A�Stoke-on-Trent
September 24, 2011
1630 hours GMT
***
The United juggernaut rolls on to the daunting Britannia Stadium next, toA�face Tony Pulisa�� Stoke City. The Potters have created a niche forA�themselves in the English game by playing in a way which might notA�please the purist but no one can question their impact. Like it or not, Stoke have proved themselves over and over again and the allA�conquering Red Devils are in for a staunch test of their titleA�credentials.
Premier league giants Chelsea and Liverpool have alreadyA�found Stoke City a tough nut to crack this season and hence, Fergusona��s United would need toA�perform at their peak to get the three vital points at one of theA�toughest away days in contemporary English football.
Potters progressed through to the next round of the Carling cup in midweek at the expense of Harry Redknappa��s Spurs and that would have come as a welcome reliefA�after last weekenda��s drubbing against Sunderland at the Stadium ofA�light. However, at the Britannia, Stoke are a different animal and aA�ferocious one at that. If Stoke get one over their illustriousA�visitors it would be their first win in Premier league history overA�the Manchester giants.
The Old Trafford club, on the other hand, are sitting pretty at the topA�of the league, but with all major rivals featuring in relativelyA�easier games this weekend, United know they cannot afford to let theirA�guard down. Ita��s all set up for a mouth-watering encounter between twoA�clubs with completely different ideologies on the beautiful game but as they say – ‘beauty lies in eye of the beholder’.
Team News and Tactical Brief
STOKE CITY
Tony Pulis does not have too much injury worries going into the game apart from Kenwyne Jones, who was substituted just after 12 minutes against Tottenham in midweek. He is almost certain to miss the game as isA�Danny Higginbotham who has recovered from injury but might need one more week to get back into the mix. There is good news in case of Ricardo Fuller who seems to have recovered from his AchillesA�problem and might be involved in the game at some stage. Rest of the squad is fit, providing several options for the manager to chose from.
Thomas Sorensen was the hero in the midweek game for Stoke, but the manager is likely to avail of Begovic’s services in goal for this clash. Also returning in defence will be ex-United man Ryan Shawcross who was also rested in midweek. Alongside him will be Jonathon Woodgate, a player having a good season (apart from the own goal last weekend) at his new club with Wilson and Robert Huth taking up the full-backs role.
In midfield, Pulis is certain to go with his two wide men – Pennant and Etherington – to deliver crosses from the wings. Delap would be patrolling the central midfield, while Pulis has to make a choice between Whitehead and Palacios as to who will partner Delap in the middle of the park.A�Up front it would be the front two of Walters and Crouch who will make sure that a Vidic-less United defence has a tough time.
Stoke will play their usual direct, physical, no nonsense football and using every opportunity to crowd the opponents 18-yard box on set pieces. The team is likely to have instructions from the manager to put pressure on the United keeper especialy if Sir Alex decides to play David De Gea and if the home team manages to unsettle the young keeper, they might well be celebrating at the end of the game.
Probable Starting Line-up:A�(4-4-2)A�Begovic; Huth, Shawcross, Woodgate, Wilson; Ethrington, Delap, Whitehead, Pennant; Crouch, Walters
MANCHESTER UNITED
Sir Alex has had quite a few injury problems to deal with since the start of the season and the problems do not seem to end for him as Chris Smalling and Javier Hernandez are the latest additions to the injury list after both players were off injured in the last game against Chelsea. However, there is some good news for the manager as Rio Ferdinand has recovered from his calf strain that kept him out of last weekend’s game. Also, Danny Welbeck is ready to return to Premier League action after coming on as a substitute in midweek against Leeds. Still, there are several players missing with Rafael, Tom Cleverley and skipper Nemanja Vidic being key absentees.
Ferdinand is certain to return to the starting line-up alongside Jonny Evans with Jones shifting to right back – a role which he performed brilliantly at the Reebok Stadium. Evra will be the usual left-back. Anderson and Fletcher are likley to return in midfield as Carrick, Giggs and Park were all involved in the midweek game. Also the manager will be having one eye on the Champions League game coming up in midweek and hence, will be willing to keep all his players fresh. The wingers will once again be Young and Nani which means that Valencia will have to be content with a place on the bench. Up-front, the manager might opt for Dimitar Berbatov to play alongside Rooney as the Bulgarian can also prove to be crucial in defending set-pieces.
The most interesting thing to see will be the choice of goalkeeper made by Sir Alex for the match. David De Gea had a good game against Chelsea and has been proclaimed as the no. 1 by the manager, his lack of physical presence is no secret to anyone. On the other hand, Lindegaard, who himself had a fantastic game against Benfica, is a bit taller than the Spaniard and certainly looks to be more commanding in the box. While the manager is likely to go with De Gea, it shouldn’t be a surprise if Lindegaard is seen in goal on Saturday.
The tactics for the game could very well be to keep the ball in the opening minutes, in order to silence the hostile crowd and possibly nick a goal early on. While the wingers will once again be crucial in United’s attacks, this is certainly one of the games where the defensive performance of the team can decide the result at the end of it all.
Probable Starting Line-up:A�(4-4-1-1)A�De Gea; Jones, Evans, Ferdinand, Evra; Nani, Fletcher, Anderson, Young; Rooney, BerbatovA�
Key Facts
- Stoke have lost just one in their last 11 games at the Britannia Stadium (W7 D3 L1) but have only scored three goals in their last seven league games.
- The Potters have had the fewest shot in the league this season (10) while United have had the most (43).
- United have used 30 players in just seven competitive games so far this season.
TheHardTacklea��s PLAYER TO WATCH OUT FOR
David De Gea/Anders Lindegaard (Manchester United)
De Gea will be under scrutiny
Irrespective of the choice made by Sir Alex, the keeper is certainly going to be a key player for the visitors. In the past, Van Der Sar dealt brilliantly with Delap’s missile throws which was an important factor in United’s wins over Stoke. In the absence of the flying Dutchman this time around, Stoke players will be putting the young United keeper under a lot of pressure and the winner of this battle might very well end up on the winning side.
TheHardTacklea��s PREDICTION
Stoke City 1-2 Manchester United
It will again be one of those hostile games at the Britannia Stadium. Stoke will certainly put United under pressure, but the quality of the Red Devils will prove to be enough to get them hard fought three points.
TheHardTacklea��s BLAST FROM THE PAST
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