Sunderland vs Man Utd Preview, Team News, Likely Line-Ups, Key Man & Predicted Score

Manchester United will look to get their Premier League title defence back on track as they take on bottom club Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Saturday afternoon.

The champions slumped to a shock 2-1 defeat to West Brom at Old Trafford last weekend leaving them sitting 12th in the table and a full eight points behind leaders Arsenal, making it their worst start in 24 years.

David Moyes men did secure a hard fought 1-1 draw with Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League on Wednesday to keep them on track for the knockout stages, but they will have to come away with three points this weekend if they want to keep in touch at the top of the Premiership.

United will face a manager-less Snderland side who currently prop up the table with just 1 point from their opening six games. Caretaker boss Kevin Ball has urged the clubs owners to appoint a new manager as soon as possible but he can be proud of the effort his men put in against Liverpool last weekend, despite coming away on the end of a 3-1 loss.

Team News

Sunderland have been boosted by the news that striker Fabio Borini is available again after being ineligible to face Liverpool on Sunday, but he may have to make do with a place on the bench.

Ball has no new injury worries to contend with so may decide to name an unchanged team after a spirited display last time out. The only absentees are striker Steven Fletcher, and defenders Wes Brown and Andrea Dossena who all remain sidelined through injury.

David Moyes boasts a near fuly-fit squad to choose from this weekend. Striker Wayne Rooney missed the midweek draw in Ukraine with a minor shin complaint but is expected to be recalled on Saturday.

Rio Ferdinand is a doubt as he has a groin problem and is likely to sit this one out meaning Nemanja Vidic will play alongside Jonny Evans at the back once again. Tom Cleverley is the only other doubt but Moyes is likely to stick with Michael Carrick and Marouane Fellaini in midfield in any case.

Danny Welbeck could retain his place after scoring against Shakhtar but Nani, Ashley Young and Shinji Kagawa are all pushing for recalls.

Likely Line-Ups

Key Man

Robin van Persie: The Dutchman has had a frustrating start to the season with a niggling groin complaint hampering his progress. But he’s fully fit now and we can see him putting in a big performance this weekend to help United collect a much-needed three points.

Predicted Score

Sunderland 1-2 Man Utd: The Black Cats showed last week that they are up for the fight and we expect this to be a tough afternoon for United, but the champions quality should see them edge this one.

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