If you just look at the table of the Premier League without looking at total points, there isn't a heck of a lot separating Stoke City and Manchester United. But of course, we know that these two teams are nothing like each other. The Red Devils clearly have the bigger names, and they have 11 points on the Potters in spite of the fact that they're only three slots ahead of their Saturday foes.
At 10 a.m. ET, tune into NBC Sports Network for live television coverage of this Barclays Premier League match on Saturday, January 21, 2016, at Bet365 Stadium.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Stoke City +475
Manchester United -163
Draw +305
Over/Under 2.5
Odds Analysis
You wouldn't normally think of a team in sixth position of the Premier League table being favored on the road by a full goal on the Asian Handicap against the ninth place team, but that's what we have in this fixture. The Red Devils are laying -163 on the moneyline, and that's just a tremendous spread.
The total of 2.5 tells the story of what could be a relatively low-scoring and defensive match.
Key Injuries
United is in good shape right now on the injury front. Eric Bailly is the only absentee from the regular lineup, as he's serving international duty with the Africa Cup of Nations.
Stoke City has really been harmed by the Africa Cup of Nations. Mame Biram Diouf, Wilfried Bony and Ramadan Sobhi are all serving their homelands, and that's a big chunk of the offense for the team that isn't going to be in the fold. Remember that Bodgan Bojan is out with a hip injury, while Jack Butland, Stephen Ireland and USMNT regular, Geoff Cameron are all out as well.
Recent Form
Manchester United has been just in flat out awesome form at this point. The team wasn't at its best against Liverpool last week at home but still pulled out a draw in the late going thanks to one last great push and a great moment from Zlatan Ibrahimovic. That ended a nine-match winning streak, but it's hard to argue with the results in general, especially since that clash against the Reds was always going to be insanely difficult.
Stoke City has actually won a couple matches in a row to kick off the new year in the Premier League, but it's clear that the team is perilously thin. Peter Crouch is having to play a massive role in this offense, and at least for one day, it really paid off against Sunderland, as he found the back of the net along with Marko Arnautovic. The downside? The team was eliminated from the FA Cup at home against Championship side, Wolverhampton, a match that manager Mark Hughes essentially conceded from the get go, knowing that the rest of the EPL season was certainly more important than anything else.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
You just have to wonder how much Stoke City has in the tank here. Lee Grant is probably the team's third choice in net, and with perhaps the team's top three strikers not available, you just have to wonder if 35-year old Crouch can really keep up against the big and talented Manchester United defense. We tend to doubt it.
Man U is rightfully a big favorite in this match, and it's almost as if the oddsmakers are trying to bait you into playing the dogs at +1 on the Asian Handicap. We're willing to lay the lumber, though it isn't something that is generally all that advisable when you're talking about big teams going on the road in the EPL against some of the generally regarded minnows.
Barclays Premier League Odds: Manchester United 2, Stoke City 0
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