Can Manchester United Continue Boxing Day Dominance?

Manchester United head to Stoke City on Saturday looking to extend their run of 11 consecutive wins on Boxing Day.

United are the undisputed kings of Boxing Day, winning 18, drawing two and losing just one of their 21 matches, picking up an average 2.67 points per game.

You have to go back to Boxing Day 2002 for the last time the Red Devils failed to win, as Alen Boksic, Szilard Nemeth and Joseph-Desire Job earned Middlesbrough a famous 3-1 victory at the Riverside Stadium - Ryan Giggs scoring a consolation for the visitors.

Since then United haven't disappointed, routinely providing their fans with some extra festive cheer, churning out 11 straight wins, scoring an average of three goals a game.

United are head and shoulders clear of the next team with the most consecutive Boxing Day wins, with Arsenal stringing seven together between 2000 and 2006, before a goalless draw at Portsmouth in 2007 brought their run to an end.

United's Boxing Day record has arguably never faced a sterner test, though, with Louis van Gaal's side travelling to the Potteries lacking in confidence and form.

The Red Devils make the hour-long trip south looking to bring an end to a run of six games in all competitions without a win, a sequence that has seen them eliminated from the Champions League and fall out of the Premier League top four.

Add that to the fact they have just a single victory to their name from their previous six trips on the road and suddenly the odds appear stacked against them.

But history suggests United shouldn't be daunted by Saturday's clash. Winning at the Britannia on Boxing Day is something they have done in the past, with a late Carlos Tevez strike sealing a 1-0 win in this fixture back in 2008.

However, it's worth noting captain Wayne Rooney is the only surviving member from that victory seven years ago. Can he guide his side to a 12th straight win?

Credit: Skysports.com