 | #3. Stoke City versus Manchester UnitedLocation: Britannia Stadium (Stoke-on-Trent)Date: Sunday, October 24 Time: 8:30 a.m. Eastern Records (W-D-L, +/-, Place): Stoke, 3-1-4, -2, 9th United, 3-5-0, +7, 4th |  |
English Premier League Week 9 Preview: Manchester United Look For First Away Win Of Season As Rooney Saga Is Now Over
Unless you currently reside under a rock, you'd have experienced the kind of week that was dominated by Wayne Rooney and the 'will he or won't he' saga concerning his future at Manchester United. While the next five years will now see him remain with the Red Devils and while the next three weeks witnesses him sidelined with the ankle knock that's plagued him for the past six months, may we finally get back to some football?
Manchester United are coming off a narrow 1-0 midweek victory in Champions League at home against Turkish Champions Bursaspor thanks to an early strike from Nani while the league’s fourth place team looks to get their Premier League campaign back on track with what would be their first away win of the season.
Tony Pulis’ Stoke City sit in a respectable ninth while they’ve the same number of overall wins as United with three. Their four match unbeaten run ended last weekend when a late Bolton strike secured all three points for Owen Coyle’s side at The Reebok Stadium.
Projected Lineup, Stoke City (4-4-2): Sorensen - Huth, Shawcross, Faye, Collins - Pennant, Delap, Whitehead, Etherington - Walters, Jones
Projected Lineup, Manchester United (4-4-2): Van der Sar- Rafael, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra - Nani, Carrick, Fletcher, Park- Berbatov, Hernandez
Key Battle: Manchester United have been incredibly leaky in the league as of late. Although they've yet to be beaten this season in all competitions, their five league draws have seen them slip to fourth, level on points with Spurs and Arsenal. Look for Sunday's key battle to feature Stoke's attack at home through Kenwyne Jones and Matthew Etherington's wing play against United's defense currently lacking cohesion and confidence.
Battle Within The Battle: World class keeper Edwin van der Sar was renamed last weekend ‘Edwin Blunder Sar’ because of his monumental blunder-bobble that gifted a goal to West Brom which allowed the Baggies to sneak out of Old Trafford with a point. Stoke will look to test van der Sar quickly and often to test the resolve of a keeper who is coming off one of his worst errors in recent years.
Pick: While the club finally has the Rooney saga behind them, look for the Red Devils to come out with arguably their best performance of the season. United puts out a message to the rest of the league that they're ready and able to fight for the title and win emphatically away to Stoke 0-3 through a Dimitar Berbatov brace and another Chicharito goal.
See More:
