Stoke City welcome Manchester United to the Britannia Stadium on New Year's Day with both sides having reason for positive thinking in front of the second a large portion of the Premier League battle.
Stoke (W7-D4-L8) completed 2014 on a high note in the wake of asserting consecutive league wins shockingly this season. Bojan Krkic's first-half penalty earned the Potters a 1-0 win at Everton on Boxing Day, and after two days, a prop from striker Mame Diouf provided for them a 2-0 home against West Bromwich Albion.
Potters manager Mark Hughes sleet his side's bubbly season performance and the team's general improvement amid the previous year.
"I'm enchanted for the gentlemen on the grounds that they have gotten that monkey off their shoulders now, having won consecutive matches," Hughes told his club's site. "They have worked massively hard over this troublesome period and you need to provide for them tremendous credit for that.
"It's been a decent twelve months for us, and I feel we have truly pushed forward as a club amid that time. There are considerable measures of positives we can take from in the not so distant future, and now assuredly we can expand upon that as we move into 2015."
Stoke begin the new year in eleventh spot with 25 points from 19 matches.
Man United (10-6-3) were held to an enlivening yet baffling goalless draw with Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane on Sunday. The Red Devils overwhelmed the initial 45 minutes yet they couldn't change over a few goal scoring open doors.
United are unbeaten in nine alliance matches (W7-D2-L0) and commence 2015 in third place, 10 points uncontrolled of pioneers Chelsea.
Red Devils chief Louis van Gaal was enchanted with the way his side played in the first half at Spurs however disillusioned with the quantity of missed plated edged shots.
"We lost two points I think," the United manager told his club's site. "We had the best execution of Manchester United's season in the first half, we could have scored four or five goals I think, however we didn't compensate ourselves.
"I ought to have been fulfilled in the event that we had won today on the grounds that then we would have had 38 points out of 19 matches and that is two points a match generally speaking, which is great."
Stoke have wounds worries about Bojan (hamstring) and Phil Bardsley (lower leg), despite the fact that Jonathan Walters is relied upon to be fit in the wake of recuperating from sickness.
Van Gaal, who fielded an unaltered XI against Tottenham shockingly since landing at Old Trafford, is prone to pivot his group choice at Stoke. Midfielder Antonio Valencia got a crotch damage at Spurs and confronts a late wellness test.
United beat Stoke 2-1 at Old Trafford on Dec. 2 in the converse class installation on goals from Marouane Fellaini and Juan Mata. Steven N'zonzi scored for the Potters.
The Red Devils have won six of their last seven leagues and cup matches against Stoke.
The Potters have not keep a clean sheet against United since a 1-0 win in an old First Division match at the Victoria Ground back in March 1983.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
Manchester United has won six of their last seven games against Stoke City in all competitions.
Their only defeat was a 2-1 loss at the Britannia Stadium last season.
The Potters have not keep a clean sheet against the Red Devils since a 1-0 win in a top-flight match at the Victoria Ground on 2 March 1983.
Stoke City
Victory would give Stoke three successive top-flight wins for the first time since last March.
The Potters have kept consecutive clean sheets in the Premier League for the first time since September 2013.
They had conceded in each of their previous 11 Premier League runs prior to that run.
Stoke midfielder Steven Nzonzi ran further than any other Premier League player in the first half of this season, covering 214.8 km (over 133 miles).
Manchester United
The Red Devils have won just two of their last 11 away games in the top flight (D6, L3), although they are unbeaten in their last four (W2, D2).
United have gone nine league matches without defeat since losing to Manchester City two months ago (W7, D2).
The last time United failed to score in back-to-back league games was in December 2013 against Everton and Newcastle.
They have scored seven goals from outside the penalty area this season - the joint-highest figure in the top flight (along with Everton and West Ham).
Predicted Lineups
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