PREVIEW: STOKE CITY V MANCHESTER UNITED
Setting the scene… The Reds make the relatively short trip to the Bet365 Stadium looking to carry on the form from before the international break when facing Stoke City in Saturday's early evening kick-off. Jose Mourinho's men currently hold a 100 per cent record in this season's Premier League and top the table, having won all of the opening three games, scoring 10 goals and conceding none. The Potters held United to a 1-1 draw in both of the league fixtures last term, so Mourinho's side will hope to record three points and continue the momentum in the first of seven games in three different competitions during a busy September.
How can I watch it? The game kicks off at 17:30 BST and will be broadcast live on BT Sport in the UK. Subscribers of MUTV on Sky or Virgin Media, the club's MUTV app or online at mutv.com will be able to watch build-up from 15:30 BST in Matchday Live and listen to radio commentary of the game before watching it in full at 18:00 BST on Sunday. You can also keep up with all the action as it happens via ManUtd.com's live match blog and by following our official Twitter account @ManUtd.
How have the Reds fared during the international break? It's been a positive period for United's squad, with 17 players leaving to represent their countries across the world in World Cup qualifiers, and some made some important contributions. Romelu Lukaku kept up his early-season scoring form by hitting four goals for Belgium in their victories over Gibraltar and Greece, while fellow forward Marcus Rashford struck the winner for England in their 2-1 win over Slovakia at Wembley on Monday. There were clean sheets for goalkeepers David De Gea and Sergio Romero for Spain and Argentina respectively, while Daley Blind set up two goals for the Netherlands in their 3-1 success over Bulgaria.
How have Stoke started the season? Mark Hughes' side currently sit 11th in the Premier League and, after three games this term, they have already experienced every result possible, having beaten Arsenal, drawn with West Brom and lost to Everton. However, they did comfortably beat League One side Rochdale 4-0 in the EFL Cup to reach the third round. Since drawing 1-1 at West Brom in their last league game, transfer deadline day has passed and the Potters have brought in Austrian centre-back Kevin Wimmer from Tottenham, who could make his debut against United. Bojan Krkic and Gianelli Imbula will not feature on Saturday, as they have both left the club on loan to Alaves and Toulouse respectively.
Any team news for me? The Reds could have Ashley Young and Luke Shaw back in contention for a place in the squad after stepping up their recoveries from injury by playing for the Reserves before the international break but Marcos Rojo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic are set to be sidelined for some time yet. Jose Mourinho is likely to give an update on his squad during his pre-match press conference on Friday. While former United men Darren Fletcher and Mame Biram Diouf are set to recover from minor knee injuries to feature against their former club but Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Ibrahim Afellay are expected to be sidelined with hamstring and knee problems respectively.
How did Stoke do last season? The Potters experienced a typically run-of-the-mill season in 2016/17, as they finished in 13th place in the Premier League under former Reds striker Hughes. Stoke were strong against their rivals, but their results against the top-half sides were poor, and arguably, their two draws with United were among the highlights of their season. To further illustrate their mid-table mediocrity, the Staffordshire outfit finished 17 points behind Everton, who occupied the final European place, and 10 points clear of the drop zone.
How have we done against Stoke in the past? Historically, we have a mixed overall record against the Potters, having won 43, drawn 35 and lost 28 of our 106 meetings with the Potters in all competitions stretching back to 1893. But the Reds have dominated this fixture since Stoke's promotion in 2008 with 12 wins from 18 Premier League games. It's United's first trip to the Potteries since January, when former club captain Wayne Rooney made history by surpassing Sir Bobby Charlton's long-standing record to becoming the club's all-time leading scorer with a late free-kick as a substitute to earn a 1-1 draw.
Who's the referee? Neil Swarbrick will take charge of Saturday's game, with the Lancashire official handling his third Premier League match of 2017/18 after Everton's 1-0 win over Stoke on the opening weekend and Newcastle's 3-0 victory against West Ham before the international break. The 51-year-old, from Preston, will be assisted by Darren Cann and Scott Ledger, with Stuart Attwell the fourth official.
Rivals watch: The Premier League is back after a two-week absence and there's a full programme spread over Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Here's the fixture list...
Saturday 9 September (15:00 BST unless otherwise stated)
Manchester City v Liverpool (12:30)
Arsenal v AFC Bournemouth
Brighton and Hove Albion v West Bromwich Albion
Everton v Tottenham Hotspur
Leicester City v Chelsea
Southampton v Watford
Sunday 10 September
Burnley v Crystal Palace (13:30)
Swansea v Newcastle (16:00)
Monday 11 September
West Ham United v Huddersfield Town (20:00)
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