Stoke City vs. Manchester United: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info and Preview
Stoke City and Manchester United will play out the first match of 2015 at the Britannia Stadium, as both teams look to continue their excellent form over the festive period.
Mark Hughes' team were one of just two sides in the division to win both of their games between Christmas and new year, so expect the Potters supporters in attendance to shake off their New Year's Day hangovers and make things very difficult for Louis van Gaal's side indeed.
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United have shown signs that they are ready to click into gear as of late, however, and they would have taken all three points away from White Hart Lane had it not been for an excellent performance from Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
Here's all the information you need on where to catch the game and a closer look at the two teams that will get Premier League action kickstarted in 2015.
Date: Thursday, Jan. 1
Time: 12:45 p.m. (GMT)/7:45 a.m. (ET)
Live Stream: Sky Go App (UK), NBC Sports Live Extra (US)
TV Info: Sky Sports 1 (UK), NBCSN (US)
Likely Line-Ups:
United Looking to Kickstart 2015 in Style
The omens are good for Hughes ahead of this clash, as he looks to beat United at the Britannia for the second season running.
Last season two Charlie Adam goals condemned the Red Devils to a defeat, and after two excellent performances against Everton and West Bromwich Albion, confidence will be high in the Potters camp.
There's something of a buzz around the Stoke squad, and a large part of that is the recent exploits of Spanish forward Bojan Krkic. The former Barcelona man has been in dazzling form in recent weeks, but in disappointing news for Stoke, he could be set to miss this one, as confirmed by Hughes:
That'll be a major boost to Van Gaal, who has an array of forward players to pick from himself as he plots to take all three points back to Manchester.
But it's forward-cum-midfielder Wayne Rooney who has been the standout man for the Red Devils in recent weeks, leading by example in the middle of the park with a plethora of rumbustious displays.
Bleacher Report's Stan Collymore has been very impressed with Rooney's recent performances:
Getting to grips with Rooney in that area will be vital for Stoke, but in front of him, Juan Mata looks as if he's getting back to his probing best, while Robin van Persie and Radamel Falcao are slowly beginning to find their feet as an attacking partnership.
The latter is beginning to find his feet in the Premier League, and as noted here by Nooruddean Choudry of the Mirror, the Colombian just needs a little more time:
With that in mind, it'll be very difficult for Stoke to contain United's offensive forays. The width and movement they showcased against Spurs was magnificent, and while their profligacy showcased exactly why this United team isn't ready to challenge for the title yet, this is a team that's in a groove and clearly going in the right direction.
Encouragingly for United, that lack of ruthlessness looks set to be an anomalous occurrence. With the likes of Rooney, Van Persie, Falcao and Mata in attendance, the goals will flow regularly throughout the season, and after a few days to recuperate following a busy December, expect the aforementioned to be a little bit sharper in front of goal this time round.
Stoke are cohesive and will be spurred on by their raucous home support, but they just don't look as though they have the requisite firepower to match United, who will surely find the back of the net this time round.
With that in mind, a narrow win for Louis van Gaal's side looks set to be the most likely outcome here.
Prediction: Stoke City 1-2 Manchester United
