Following a hard fought draw against
Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday night, Manchester United journey to the
North East for a game against crisis club Sunderland for their third
game in just a week.
United have made their worst start to a
domestic season for 24 years and are yet to score a league goal from
open-play since the opening day, a worrying statistic given the wealth
of attacking options at David Moyes’ disposal.
Back-to-back losses to West Brom and
Manchester City have seen United fall well off the pace in the Premier
League eight points off the top, and a reaction is needed to ensure more
ground isn’t lost on Arsenal ahead of the international break.
Sunderland lost both games against United last season, a 3-1 defeat at Old Trafford and 1-0 loss back at the Stadium of Light.
Much has changed for Sunderland since then with defeat last season signalling the end of Martin O’Neill’s stay on Wearside.
Paolo Di Canio replaced O’Neill but
became the first managerial casualty of the season after a dreadful
start and youth coach turned caretaker manager Kevin Ball is now in
charge. The playing squad are still yet to fully gel after a whole host
of summer arrivals and they currently lie bottom of the table on one
point with a ten goal deficit.
United go into the match in good shape with Rio
Ferdinand the only real doubt after a groin injury saw him miss the
midweek Champions League game. Rooney, who missed the fixture too,
should recover after a minor shin injury forced him out while Robin van
Persie and Tom Cleverley both made their injury returns in the Ukraine.
Sunderland are still without the
prolific Steven Fletcher who is a long-term casualty and ex-United
players Wes Brown and Phil Bardsley are likely to miss out. Former
Liverpool player Andrea Dossena is set to miss out as well. Emmanuelle
Giacherrini, a summer signing from Juventus, has looked impressive so
far and could be a threat after scoring last week against Liverpool.
It’s difficult to envisage another loss
for United especially given how poor Sunderland have played so far this
season. After a solid display in midweek which saw Nemanja Vidic and co.
defend resolutely for the majority of the game, hopefully we can build
on that performance and kick on. The next four league games will be seen
as a time when United can get their act together and a professional,
composed performance is needed.
United have not lost three league games on the spin
since 2001 so Moyes will be seeking to avoid equalling an unwanted
record, especially with his reign at United coming under increasing
scrutiny in recent weeks after results have faltered.
Games against Sunderland have a little
extra spice these days after Sunderland cheered Manchester City’s
last-minute winner two seasons ago and it’s always nice to get one over
on the Black Cats.
Prediction: Sunderland 1-2 Manchester United
No comments:
Post a Comment