Relegation battling Sunderland hosts league leaders Manchester United at the Stadium of Light.
It’s a do-or-die situation for Sunderland since the Black Cats are just four points above the relegation zone. Meanwhile, Manchester United are literally champions of England as the Red Devils are marching on towards Premier League title with a margin of 15 points with their Manchester rivals.
Sunderland face a massive blow as striker Steven Fletcher is expected to miss four to six weeks of action following sustaining ligament damage. The Black Cats’ top scorer will be duly missed by Sunderland. Also, Spanish defender Carlos Cuellar will not feature in this game and he will be accompanied by Sessegnon, Cattermole and Brown in the sidelines. Meanwhile, Paul Scholes will be accompanied by Darren Fletcher in the sidelines for Manchester United.
Statistics: Sunderland vs Manchester United ( Provided by HamroFootball.com)
- Out of last 6 encounters between these teams, Sunderland have failed to win even once as Manchester United won 5 and a draw was played between these teams. These 6 encounters foresaw 8 goals scored and 7 yellow cards.
- Manchester have won their last 6 matches in the Premier League.
- Manchester United have kept a cleansheet in their last 5 matches in the Premier League.
- Sunderland’s top notch player Steven Fletcher who is club’s top scorer is absent for this game.
- Manchester United have scored 69 goals this season, 45 resulting from open play and 19 from set piece. On the other hand, Sunderland have managed just 33 goals.
Predicted Lineups:
Sunderland: Sunderland are expected to play with formation 4-4-2.
Probable Lineup: Mignolet; Gardner, O’Shea, Bramble, Rose; Jack, Larsson, Vaughan, Johnson; Wickham and Danny
Manchester United: Manchester United are expected to feature with formation of 4-4-1-1.
Probable Lineup: De Gea; Rafael, Rio, Nemanja, Evra; Valencia, Anderson, Giggs, Young; Rooney; van Persie.
