Stoke midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri urges Basle to exploit Manchester United's 'vulnerable' defence ahead of their Champions League clash

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Stoke winger Xherdan Shaqiri believes Basle can cause an upset when they visit Old Trafford for their Champions League Group A clash with Manchester United on Tuesday.

Shaqiri, who was a product of Basle's academy, has claimed the Swiss champions are capable of getting a result if they are prepared to take risks against United's 'vulnerable' defence. 

The Switzerland international got an assist against Jose Mourinho's side in their 2-2 draw on Saturday, crossing for Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting to score his second and level up the scores.

Stoke winger Xherdan Shaqiri believes his former side Basle can beat Manchester United

Basle go into the game with United as heavy underdogs, especially following their 2-1 home defeat to Lausanne at the weekend, which left them without a win in three games.

But the 25-year-old has urged Raphael Wicky's side to be brave and try to exploit United's weaknesses at the back.

'You have to play bravely,' he told Blick. 'It doesn't matter if you're setting up to sit deep for 90 minutes. They have so much class in attack, sometimes they'll just shoot and score a goal.

Shaqiri played in Stoke's 2-2 draw on Saturday and feels Jose Moutinho's side can be exploited

Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting scored twice and Shaqiri believes United are vulnerable in defence

'If they do [have a weakness], it's in their defence. That's what our goals have shown. If you play fast and bravely, the defenders have problems. At the back, Manchester are vulnerable.

'It will be extremely difficult for Basle. Especially at Old Trafford, where Manchester are far more dominant than away. Then there's the atmosphere there. Old Trafford is one of the best stadiums in the world.

'Raphael Wicky has to be brave, to risk something. Just defending won't be enough. But he probably knows that himself.'

Basle are huge underdogs going into the fixture and have endured a three-game winless run

Stoke manager Mark Hughes revealed before the sides met on Saturday he intended to exploit certain areas of the United side. 

After the draw at the Britannia Stadium the Welsh boss remained particularly coy about what specific areas he was referring to.

He told BT Sport: 'I'm not going to say what areas, but we are happy with what we tried to achieve, I said before the game we will look at areas to exploit, every team you face will give you moments in games where you think you might be able to capitalize on certain areas and on the most part that came to fruition.'

Shaqiri was not so bashful and alluded to Paul Pogba, who he feels tends to hold on to possession for too long, which possibly could make him someone to target.

But Shaqiri believes they can get a result if they're willing to take risks and don't just sit back

But he did admit that trying to take the ball from the France star or Romelu Lukaku can be extremely tough, given their physical attributes. 

'You can hardly get him off the ball,' he said of Pogba. 'However, he sometimes tends to hold on to it for too long. Physically, he's very strong.

'He [Lukaku] also has a lot of power and can really assert himself. You can play it in quickly, to his feet or his chest, or in behind.'

He even pinpointed Paul Pogba as someone who Basle could target and potentially exploit

Stoke's second goal, which proved enough to earn a share of the spoils, came from a corner that followed a stunning save from David de Gea to deny Jese Rodriguez.

Shaqiri admits the Spain goalkeeper is one of the best in the world but even stretched to identify a potential weakness in his game, too.

'De Gea is an absolutely world-class goalkeeper,' he said. 'Extremely strong on his line, good with the ball at his feet. Very relaxed, maybe even too relaxed.'