Manchester United star Juan Mata has admitted it won’t be easy for his side to defeat Stoke City and stressed that the Red Devils will need to play their best football.

The Premier League giants' winning streak of nine games was halted on Sunday as they had to settle for a 1-1 draw against Liverpool at Old Trafford.




They struggled to get back into the game until Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored the equaliser late in the 84th minute.

The Red Devils will travel to the bet365 Stadium on Saturday to take on Stoke City in their next Premier League encounter, as they look to return to winning ways.
 


The two sides have already met this season, with the game at Old Trafford ending in a 1-1 draw, as Stoke stunned the hosts with an accomplished display.  

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And Mata, who came off the bench during his side’s game against the Reds, believes it will be difficult for his team to beat Mark Hughes’ men, who have won their last two Premier League games.

“Now we have a few days to prepare for the game against Stoke City”, Mata wrote on his personal blog.

“It’s always a complicated visit, and they have won two consecutive games.

“As I’ve said before, we must focus on ourselves and play our best football”, added the 28-year-old.

Manchester United are currently sixth in the Premier League table and have 40 points from 21 games.