Juan Mata warns Man United to expect ‘difficult’ test at Stoke
Manchester United winger Juan Mata expects Stoke City to pose a difficult test at The Britannia on Saturday
Juan Mata has warned Manchester United to expect a “difficult” test when the Red Devils travel to face Stoke City at The Britannia on Saturday.
The Spain international played a part in strikes from Robin van Persie and Juan Mata as United ended their recent losing run by securing a 2-0 victory over Cardiff City at Old Trafford on Tuesday night.
It has always been difficult to play against Stoke
Juan Mata
And Mata, who moved to the Red Devils in a club-record £37.1m deal from Chelsea last Saturday, is expecting a very physical clash against the Potters as United look to put pressure on fourth-placed Liverpool.
“It has always been difficult to play against Stoke,” said Mata.
“They like to play long balls and are a physical team but we just need to play our own game with the quality players we have.
“If you try to play quickly, you can get chances to score and put yourself in a good position.”
Meanwhile, Jonny Evans played down the significance of United’s win against Cardiff after experiencing numerous false dawns in a difficult first season under David Moyes.
“We can’t keep saying every time we get a win that it is going to kick-start our season,” Evans said.
“We will only be able to do that in maybe five games’ time. We need to make sure we keep performing like that.”
