Weekend Outlook (14 Nov 2008)

Manchester United vs Stoke City

"...If we were to lose today, Fergie is sure going to do more than just a flying shoe. And this time, he won't miss...."

- JayWalk, 14 Nov 2008

It wasn't a pretty scoreline at mid-week but it was a win nevertheless and a ticket to the Carling Cup quarter-finals.

At 12 shots on-goal versus none, I am sure Fergie won't be too happy with just a 1-0 win.

The B-team still have a lot of work ahead of them and in a way, it is good that we advance to the next round as it means yet another game for us to try the youngsters.

Looking ahead, there will not be a mid-week game although it would have been good for us to convert the game in-hand and catch up with the rest of the league while we are still relatively free. Better now than later where we will be further into the later and more critical stages of the cups and leagues.

JayWalk The Talk: Hargreaves is out for the rest of the season and it made me wonder if we bought another Alan Smith? van dar Sar will definitely be back between the sticks. He has been awful in his past few games and we really need to get him more games to shake off that hoodoo. In the mean time, Fergie better start looking for a replacement goalie.

Ferdinand, the only player in ManUtd to have played every single minute this season, will be partnering Vidic. These two used to be the invincible duo and yet were tossed aside like garbage by the Arsenal attack last week. What happened? Evra will also have a place in the back 4 but Brown is still out injured which means Neville and da Silva will be fighting for the last remaining spot.

Ronaldo will be seeking his 100th ManUtd goal today and so do expect the young lad to appear on the score sheet. Scholes is about 4 weeks away from full recovery (Happy Birthday! 16 Nov) while I wonder if Nani will get a birthday start (17 Nov) in midfield ahead of Carrick, Fletcher and Anderson.

Rooney is fighting off a chest infection and so I expect Tevez, who will be starting from the bench, to replace him up front with Berbatov later into the game.

As for Stoke side, Sidebe is doubtful and it could really throw the proverbial spanner into the goal scoring department. Other than that, Stoke doesn't really have a manpower shortage problem. Perhaps their physical play made them all super fit? Haha.

JayWalk The Walk: The last time these two teams met in the League was 1985 where the Premier League was known as the First Division. It was a home game where we whipped them 5-0. Does Jesper Olsen (2 goals), Mark Hughes (2 goals) and Norman Whiteside (1 goal) ring a bell? Stoke were relegated shortly after but not before beating us 2-1 earlier in the season (1984) on their home soil.

However, we would have to date even further to 1976 where Stoke last won at Old Trafford.

Coming back to the present day. Stoke's return to the top flight has been relatively good, having scalped Arsenal 2-1 two weeks ago and pinned Liverpool down to a goaless draw in September. It is not that Stoke City are that good to be able to face up to (and even beat) the Big 4, it is rather that Arsenal and Liverpool didn't show their opponent enough respect. Underestimate your opponents and it will come back and bite you in the ass.

We learned our lesson recently with Hull City where we narrowly escaped with a 4-3 win and paid dearly with a 1-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium against an understrength (or so we thought) Arsenal.

If we were to lose today, Fergie is sure going to do more than just a flying shoe. And this time, he won't miss.

We won't lose today or so said the bookies who are offering 1.975 decimal odds for ManUtd to beat the 2.25-ball handicap. Problem is that the rest of us aren't so optimistic. Without a doubt, we will win this game at home but we aren't so sure that we can pull off a 3-goal margin victory and it's all because the standard of our defense is a little suspect of late. In other words, if Stoke City sneaks in 1 goal, we have to bloody hell reply with 4 just to win the handicap.

Too much work for too little money.

Wager pot says only 63% are buying ManUtd to win the handicap. Not very confident now, are we?

Disclaimer: The above views are purely my own two-cents' worth. In other words, I cannot and will not guarantee that my predictions are accurate. If you want to bet on the game, do so at your own risk. Also, please bet responsibly and within your means regardless of how "sure thing" that game may appear to be. As the old saying goes, "The Ball Is Round". Good luck.