Saturday afternoon sees Manchester United face a challenge - a challenge so infamous it has become a folk tale in its own right. A wintery trip to Stoke City is iconic in its difficulty, even if their on-pitch style has changed markedly. The Bet365 Stadium will be windy, looking out across the Potteries, and the crowd will be as partisan as ever.

Stoke are now one of the Premier League’s most inconsistent teams. Almost impossible to predict from one week to the next, that in itself presents another challenge for Manchester United. Jose Mourinho’s team were far from their best against Liverpool last weekend, but were good enough to maintain an unbeaten streak that has seen them close the gap on Manchester City to just two points.

The pressure is on for the Red Devils. A top four finish was considered the bare minimum at the start of this campaign and they must win games like this if they are to achieve that goal. Stoke, meanwhile, can play with the freedom of a side under no pressure at all…

Challenge the Veteran

Michael Carrick’s influence on Manchester United’s revival has been overwhelmingly positive. Stoke must see him as a potential defensive weakness, though. While a smart reader of the game, Carrick’s physical limitations could see him exposed against Stoke’s attacking players.

Mark Hughes will opt for Joe Allen in the number 10 role, but he should consider dropping Allen deeper and using a more mobile player there; perhaps even pushing Ibrahim Afellay into that position and asking him to press and man mark the deep-lying midfielder.

Force it Wide

Manchester United, as so many of Jose Mourinho’s sides have done, do not naturally play with width in the final third. Whether it be Anthony Martial, Juan Mata, Wayne Rooney or Henrikh Mkhitaryan, the nominal wingers want to either find spaces between the defensive lines or run the channels.

It forces an overload in central positions, which presents its own challenge, and puts a great deal of emphasis on the full-backs providing the natural width. The ‘wingers’ will occasionally find themselves near the touchline, but Stoke would be sensible to force Manchester United’s full-backs to be the ‘out ball’.

Recognise Crouch’s Strengths

Peter Crouch’s towering stature makes it inevitable that teams will look to play long balls up to him. Standing at 6’7, he will win more than his fair share and often cause havoc for opposition defences. It is an easy excuse for lumping the ball forwards, though, and does not take into account what Crouch is really best at.

He is not going to be running past anyone, but that does not mean the ball must go aerially to Crouch. Despite his height, the Stoke striker is better when he receives the ball to feet with his back to goal. A good technician, Crouch’s ability to bring other players into the game is what has made him such a success in the Premier League over the last decade or so.

Stoke must resist the natural urge and use Crouch properly for the benefit of their gifted attacking midfielders.