Stoke City will have their hands full this Saturday, January 21st when they host a hot Manchester United side at the bet365 Stadium in an important English Premier League match. Man United is coming off of a come-from-behind 1-1 draw against Liverpool at home last weekend while Stoke were 3-1 winners away at relegation zone Sunderland.
Stoke City vs Manchester United – bet365 Soccer Betting Line:
- bet365 currently lists Man United as the favorites to win the game at 3/5 with Stoke 9/2 and a draw at 3/1
bet365 Soccer Bonuses:
- With bet365’s Euro Soccer Bonus you can earn up to 100% more on your returns if you place accumulators on the Premier League, Champions League, Bundesliga, Primera Liga or Serie A. Place a pre-match accumulator of three or more selections on the Full Time Result or Result/Both Teams To Score markets combining teams in any of these competitions, and if successful, bet365 will add the relevant bonus to your returns.
- With the Bore Draw Money Back offer even a goalless draw is never the worst result with bet365 – if you place a pre-match bet on any Correct Score, Half-Time/Full-Time or Scorecast market for any Soccer match and the game finishes 0-0, bet365 will refund your stake if the bet loses.
- With the Each-Way First Goalscorers offer you can have an Each-Way First Goalscorer bet on any match, and be safe in the knowledge that if your player scores at any time during the game we will pay you out! Each-Way bets are settled on all goalscorers at 1/3 odds for unlimited places in 90 minutes play.
Stoke City vs Manchester United – Head to Head:
- The clubs met back in October and played to a 1-1 league draw in Manchester. They met twice in league action last season with United winning 3-0 at Old Trafford and Stoke winning 2-0 at home. The two teams have met a total of 105 times in the past with United winning 43, losing 28 and drawing the other 34. Stoke has won just two of the last 19 encounters in all competitions.
Stoke City – A Closer Look:
Stoke City enters the weekend as a top-half team as they are currently in ninth place in the 20-team league. Stoke is a mediocre team and has just 27 points out of a possible 63 after 21 games with seven wins, six draws and eight losses. They’ve scored 27 goals and allowed 33 against. Stoke has four wins, two draws and four losses in their last 10 outings with 14 goals for and 15 against. Their home record this season is four wins, three draws and three defeats with 13 goals for and 13 against.
Manager Mark Hughes has a few injury problems to deal with as defender Geoff Cameron is out with a knee injury until February. Meanwhile, goaltender Jack Butland may be out for the rest of the season and midfielder Stephen Ireland is on the long-term injury list. In addition, Wilfried Bony, Mame Biram Diouf and Ramadan Sobhi will all miss the game as they’re away at the African Cup of Nations.
Manchester United – A Closer Look:
Man United enters the game still in sixth place in the Premier League after 21 games with 40 points from 11 victories, seven draws and three losses. They’ve scored 32 goals and have conceded 20. United won their first three league matches of the season and now have eight victories in their past 18 league contests and seven wins in the past 13. Their six-game EPL winning streak came to an end last week though with their 1-1 draw against Liverpool. United is unbeaten in their past 16 contests overall with 16 wins in their past 26 games in all competitions. These 16 matches consist of 12 victories and four draws, but they have seven draws in their last 15 league outings. United has six wins, two draws and two losses on the road in the league this season with 15 goals for and 11 against.
Man United trails league-leading Chelsea by 12 points and is five points behind second-place Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool. They’re also four behind fourth-place Arsenal and a berth in next season’s European Champions League and just two back of fifth-place Manchester City. Manager Jose Mourinho has a relatively healthy squad to choose from as James Wilson is the only player on the injury list and could miss the rest of the campaign. However, defender Eric Bailly is away at the African Cup of Nations. United has six wins and four draws in their past 10 league matches with 16 goals for and seven against.
Stoke City vs Manchester United – Takeaway:
United is desperate for points to finish at least in the top four this season and Stoke is a mediocre team at best. This means Stoke will be happy with a draw while United won’t be.
By Ian Palmer
Click here to read our review of the bet365 online sportsbook.