English Premier
2013-04-14 - Stoke City vs Manchester United
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Sunday 14 April 2013 - Kick Off 2:05pm
This game is live on TV
Stoke City
At the start of the season, Stoke City were considered a dark horse for relegation by some in the media, but a very effective first three months of the season looked to have made that a bad prediction. However, the last couple of months has seen Stoke dropping closer and closer to the bottom three and the fans are in for a tense month to see if the side can avoid the drop.
With both Queens Park Rangers and Reading looking like they are already all but gone in the Premier League and Wigan Athletic not playing in the League, Stoke haven't seen their 15th place position in the table change at all. However, they are just 3 points clear of Wigan in the bottom three, while Stoke could have dropped another place in the table if Sunderland win the Tyne-Wear derby earlier in the day. Stoke have a 6-7-3 record at the Brittania Stadium this season, scoring 19 goals and conceding 18 in those games.
Stoke were beaten 1-3 by Aston Villa here last weekend which has plunged them deep into a relegation dogfight, especially with this tough game on deck. They have won just 1 of their last 17 games in all competitions since beating Liverpool on Boxing Day, while their home form is also suffering. Stoke have won just 1 of their last 9 here in all competitions and they have suffered all 3 League defeats in that time as well as a 0-1 loss to Manchester City in the FA Cup.
Matthew Etherington and Marc Wilson need to pass late fitness tests, but Glenn Whelan is back in the squad.
Manchester United
It was a really disappointing Monday night for Manchester United as they lost the Manchester derby and now they are looking to avoid 3 straight defeats for the first time since 2001. Some of the players have also been speaking about avoiding complacency and making sure they maintain real control in the Premier League and Sir Alex Ferguson will be demanding the side pick up the three points that will all but secure the title.
Manchester United remain 12 points clear of Manchester City despite the loss to the latter, but they are still in control of the Premier League with just 21 points left to play for. They do have the best away record in the Premier League so will be confident they can put some more pressure on Stoke City with a victory here. United have a 11-2-2 away record this season, scoring 31 goals and conceding 16 in those games.
Back to back defeats at Chelsea in the FA Cup and Manchester City on Monday night has put some pressure on Manchester United, especially as the side have been looking a little tired. However, despite the defeat at Stamford Bridge in their last away game in the Cup, Manchester United have won 4 of their last 5 away games in the Premier League, including 3 in a row, and are unbeaten in 8.
Nemanja Vidic, Jonny Evans and Chris Smalling are all back to bolster the backline. Ashley Young is out for the next couple of weeks, but Paul Scholes is back in the squad.
Head to Head
Manchester United came from a goal down to beat Stoke City 4-2 at Old Trafford earlier this season.
The corresponding fixture ended 1-1 last season, but Manchester United had won 3 straight at the Brittania Stadium before that.
Prediction
Stoke City have really been struggling in the last couple of months and I think they would really have to put in a surprising performance to derail the Manchester United team going towards the title.
However, I think there is definitely some mental and physical tiredness in the Manchester United squad and that is likely to make this a tougher game than it would have been six weeks ago.
I do think United win the game, but they have been getting results by the bare minimum in recent weeks and backing them to win 0-1 here could be the value.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Stoke City 0-1 Manchester United
