Stoke v Manchester United

If there’s one thing that the Premier League teaches us time and again it’s to expect the unexpected. Freak results pop up every month of every season, and neutrals savour the ability of anybody to beat anybody ‘on their day.’

The bookies are all set to hand the three points to the champions-elect when Manchester United head to the Britannia Stadium on Sunday afternoon. The Red Devils are nothing longer than 8/13 (PaddyPower) for the win and it’s true that Stoke are in dire form. But it’s rarely as simple as all that.

It’s worth noting first of all that the Potters have still only lost three times on their own patch all season - that’s only once more than United have flopped at Old Trafford. The evidence suggests that the big guns find a trip to the Britannia as daunting as ever. Liverpool were beaten 3-1, while Man City, Arsenal and Everton could all only share the spoils. Of the elite, only Chelsea have flourished here in 2012-13.

In many ways this is the perfect fixture for Stoke because the pressure will be temporarily off with very few people giving them a prayer. I don’t see United losing back-to-back but a draw could certainly be on the cards at 3/1 with BetVictor.

However, I think we should be brave and take a scoreline punt as a high-scoring game involving the Potters is so unlikely. It was 1-1 in this very fixture last term, as well as when Stoke played Man City and Everton this season. At best odds of 8/1 I could see it happening again.