Manchester United Boss, Sir Alex Ferguson, isn’t expecting an easy outing against Stoke City during their Boxing Day encounter at Britannia Stadium.
Current Champions will be playing their first match in Premier League after 13 days, as they were away participating in Club World Cup, which was held in Japan.
Potteries venue has been amongst the toughest places for away teams, since Stoke made a promotion to the big league in previous season. Ferguson believes that they might receive the hostility level of an Anfield crowd at the Britannia Stadium.
Ferguson said, ‘I’ve visited Britannia Stadium several times in the past and always was greeted by hot atmosphere.’
‘Stoke fans are passionate and you have to deal with it properly. You’ll find situation here similar to Anfield, Sunderland or Newcastle.’
‘I expect Stoke to give us a tough fight. If you look at the bottom of the table, you’ll find 10 clubs separated by only 7 points. I haven’t seen the competition getting this tight till date.’
‘Difference between fourth-bottom side and the bottom one was 14 in the previous season. It’s a healthy change. This time, teams may require over 40 points for guaranteeing safety.’
Meanwhile, Ferguson seems happy with his current lot of players. He is showing no intentions of recruiting anyone.
‘I don’t think that there will be any transfers in January, as I’m satisfied with the available options.’
‘We might get back some of our young players, who were on loan with other clubs. They will help us in giving the added protection, which we might require when the going gets tough.’
