United open the new year at Stoke

Stoke-on-Trent, England (SportsNetwork.com) - Manchester United will open the new year with a difficult fixture as the Red Devils will travel to the Britannia to take on Stoke City on Thursday.

United claimed a point from a hard-fought 0-0 draw at Tottenham on Sunday, but it was not a costly result as Manchester City and Chelsea also were held to ties from their respective contests, leaving Louis van Gaal's men in third place where they sit 10 points back of Jose Mourinho's side.

The Red Devils dominated the opening period at White Hart Lane but failed to convert any of its gilt-edge chances.

There was a feeling that United would concede a goal against the run of play to come away empty-handed, but Tottenham also failed to find the back of the net despite having the better of play in the second half.

According to Van Gaal, United's struggles in the second period were a result of naming an unchanged side while playing two games in the span of three days.

And while the United boss now has the luxury of an extra day of rest and a few players returning from injury, Stoke will be out to disrupt visiting United by any means necessary.

The Potters were made to grind out a 1-0 victory at Everton on Boxing Day before running out to a 2-0 home win over West Bromwich Albion on Sunday, a result that lifted the club to 11th place in the Premier League with 25 points.

Despite manager Mark Hughes' plans to develop a more attractive style of play at the Britannia, the Potters have been getting results by way of a continued physical presence, something that is sure to frustrate Manchester United in its quest for a 10th straight league match without a loss.

United's unbeaten run can only be matched by Manchester City, which has not tasted defeat in 10 league outings. The Citizens will attempt to prolong that streak on Thursday when they welcome Sunderland to the Etihad.

The Citizens are only three points back of first-place Chelsea, and with the Blues set to kick off in Thursday's final fixture, they will looking to match City's result in order to maintain - or possibly extend - their lead at the summit.

West Ham United appears to be coming out of the festive period worse for the wear. The Hammers suffered successive defeats to Chelsea and Arsenal to slip out of fourth place, but they will hope to rebound with a more forgiving fixture against a struggling West Brom side at Upton Park.

Arsenal moved into a tie with Southampton by improving to 33 points, and the two sides will battle for sole possession of fourth place on Thursday when they meet at St. Mary's.

Liverpool appears to have found some form after a 4-1 defeat of Swansea City on Monday granted the club a second successive victory. The Reds enter the new year in eighth place in the table and will seek a third win on the trot when they host lowly Leicester City on Thursday.

Everton's descent down the Premier League table continued with a third straight loss on Sunday, but the Toffees will attempt to get back to winning ways with maximum points at Hull City on Thursday.

Elsewhere in England's top flight, Newcastle will look to continue its upward trend with a positive result against Burnley, Crystal Palace will attempt to climb out of the drop zone with some much-needed points at Aston Villa and Swansea will hope to rebound from a disappointing defeat when it travels to Loftus Road on short rest to take on QPR.