Ahead of Manchester United’s game against Stoke this afternoon, Jose Mourinho has discussed the opposition. While they are playing better football under Mark Hughes than in years gone by, our manager has claimed there are some things about their style that haven’t changed. Stoke are currently ninth in the table which is where they have finished in all three of Hughes’ seasons at the club.

Manchester City play Tottenham Hotspur this evening, meaning one or both teams will drop points, so Mourinho wants us to be in a position to make up ground on them.

Stoke have tried to change a few things in their game. They look a bit more worried about the quality of their game. But, there are things that belong I think to their DNA. The physical player, the tall striker, the long ball, the danger in the set-pieces, the motivation coming from the stands, the windy stadium where they are obviously much more adapted to play with the wind in favour or against the wind – they adapt very well to that. But, let’s see.

It’s cold but, for me, it doesn’t look one of these dramatic winter days for playing football. It doesn’t look like it’s going to be a rainy day, so I think we’re going to have good conditions. The match is at three o’clock and I can imagine lots of Manchester United fans behind the goal.

Stoke obviously have the motivation to beat United but we want to keep a good run, win the three points if possible and then wait for Manchester City against Spurs, where one or both them have a chance to lose points. But, that is only good for us if we win our match.