Image source, PA

Manchester United are very lucky not to fall further behind! Mame Diouf puts pressure on Jonny Evans inside the United area and it works as he steals the ball and has just David de Gea to beat, but he compounds to bend his shot wide when it would have surely been easier to score. Lucky escape for the visitors.

Stoke are coping well with Manchester United, who have not managed a shot on goal in open play. Their first effort of note comes from a free-kick, which Wayne Rooney curls over.

Yullaw:, external First match of 2015 gives us the opportunity to mount another memorable comeback.

Liam McColgan:, external Loving the atmosphere at the Britannia Stadium. #Stoke fans seem well up for this! Hopefully they will do us Gunners a favour.

Dave W:, external LVG says he doesn't need to buy a CB as he has lots of them. Problem is, none of them are any good.

Another corner for Manchester United and it is another poor one as Juan Mata's inswinger is too close to Asmir Begovic. Ashley Young then tries to find Falcao with a ball down the wing but over hits it and it rolls out of play to ironic whistles from the vocal home crowd. So far so good for Stoke.

John Dunthorne:, external Well , sleepy defence against wide awake Stoke City, = no contest.

Jacob Bridgwater:, external I want to know who's idea it was to let Luke Shaw mark Peter Crouch.

Manchester United win their first corner of the game but it is an easy claim for Asmir Begovic, who then tries to start a quick Stoke break as he finds Geoff Cameron, but his pass forward strikes Wayne Rooney and goes out for a throw.

Terrible defending from Manchester United for that goal, with Phil Jones and Chris Smalling seemingly failing to join the rest of us in moving from 2014 to 2015.

Since falling behind United have seen plenty of the ball but lack penetration as Juan Mata sprays the ball out to Luke Shaw, but his knockdown into the area is cleared.

Image source, Getty Images

Phil Neville
BBC Radio 5 live

"It was Phil Jones that lost Ryan Shawcross. We talked about their physicality in the air - with Mame Diouf up front with Peter Crouch - and it's just what they needed, an early goal from a corner.

"Crouch got a good header on the ball, but it was great anticipation from Shawcross and Jones was caught ball watching."

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, PA

Well how about this then? Disastrous start to the year for Manchester United as Peter Crouch heads a corner goalwards and Ryan Shawcross, a former Manchester United trainee, is on hand to divert the ball into the back of the net. What will United's response to that be?

Off we go then with the first English game of 2015, with Stoke getting us under way.

Image source, PA

Stoke boss Mark Hughes, speaking to Sky Sports about the absence of Bojan: "He has been checked out. There is something on the scans so we are hopeful it is not too long a period. We had to tweak things a little in attack and we are going with Crouch and Diouf up top."

On recent back-to-back wins: "We are pleased with our return over the Christmas period. Back-to-back wins is gold dust for the likes of ourselves in the Premier League, we would like to carry that on against Manchester United. We have always given a good account of ourselves against top teams."

Image source, Reuters

Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal, speaking to Sky Sports: "It is an open stadium with a lot of wind today, so it is always difficult.

"They have won the last two games with a clean sheet, that says everything. We had a very difficult match at home. I hope we have improved, I am saying that every week and I think we have to show that."

On playing games in quick succession: "I don't want to change the culture of England, but it is not right. I have read that I have to change [the players] but when you say something like that you have to know if we can change and we have too many injured players."

Out stroll the two teams on to the pitch at a breezy Britannia. Luke Shaw's return to the Manchester United side means Ashley Young swaps left-wing back for right, will he prove as effective there?

Image source, Getty Images

The two teams have just wandered off the pitch and back into their respective dressing rooms with kick-off in the first Premier League game of 2015 a little under 10 minutes away. Time for a quick reminder of the line ups.

Stoke: Begovic, Cameron, Shawcross, Muniesa, Pieters, Nzonzi, Whelan, Arnautovic, Walters, Diouf, Crouch. Subs: Bardsley, Huth, Wilson, Adam, Butland, Assaidi, Shenton.

Man Utd: De Gea, Jones, Smalling, Evans, Carrick, Young, Rooney, Mata, Shaw, Falcao, van Persie. Subs: Da Silva, Januzaj, Lindegaard, Ander Herrera, Fletcher, Blackett, Wilson.

Referee: Michael Oliver (Northumberland)

Mark Armstrong:, external Get rid of points and have teams' standings in the league decided by goal difference.

Felicity Main:, external Neither side gets a point for a scoreless draw - team should share in supporters sense of pointlessness!

Original Jumpman:, external Extend the 18-yard box from touchline to touchline. No offside in that area once ball enters. Like the blue line in hockey.

Image source, Getty Images

While you lot were knocking back the champers and toasting the start of a new year, Manchester United players were tucked up in bed dreaming of a trip to Stoke.

At least, that is what Louis van Gaal hoped anyway.

"You have to be busy with yourself, with your preparation, and the imagination of the game," he said. "All the players have to do that - dream of the game already, you have to play the game already in your bed."

Phil Neville
BBC Radio 5 live

"I think Louis van Gaal, on the 26 December, made a big thing about not being able to play two games in three days and sometimes when you hear that it goes in your mind.

"From his news conferences, all he kept going on about was this tough schedule so he put the seed of doubt in his player's minds.

"I was surprised that he went so far, I can understand why he was saying it, it was a thinly veiled attack at the FA."

Image source, Getty Images

Cheers Tom! Louis van Gaal is currently stood on the touchline at a windy Britannia Stadium, surveying his team as they go through their pre-match warm-up.

Despite his side being unbeaten in their last nine games, Van Gaal is yet to be completely happy with a Manchester United performance this season. In fact, he has only ever had one "perfect" performance in his 27 years as a manager - Ajax's 2-0 win at Real Madrid in the Champions League in 1995.

"That was a perfect game - the only one in my eyes," Van Gaal said. "I have not achieved that with Manchester United."

Could today's game at Stoke make it onto the list? I'm sceptical, but you never know...

And on that statistical bombshell, I hand you over to Gary Rose for the day's early game...