Both Manchester United and Sunderland are slowly climbing up the English Premier League standings and they’ll be battling it out for three points when they meet at Old Trafford in Manchester this Monday, December 26th. United downed West Bromwich Albion 2-0 on the road last week courtesy of a pair of goals by Zlatan Ibrahimovic while Sunderland edged past Watford 2-0 at home up in the southeast. It was the third straight win for United and they now have four wins and four draws in their past eight league outings.
Manchester United vs Sunderland – Pinnacle Soccer Betting Line:
- Pinnacle currently lists Man United as the favorites to win the game at -425 with Sunderland +1400 and a draw at +470
Manchester United vs Sunderland – Head to Head:
- These two teams met twice in league action last season with Man United winning 3-0 at Old Trafford and Sunderland winning 2-1 at home. Each team has two wins, two losses and a draw in their past five meetings. Overall, these two sides have met 143 times in the past with Man United winning 63, losing 42 and drawing the other 38. Sunderland has won just three of the last 27 games along with five draws and 19 defeats.
Manchester United – A Closer Look:
Man United enters the weekend in sixth place in the Premier League after 17 games with 30 points from eight wins, six draws and three defeats. United has 24 goals to their name and has allowed 17 against. They won their first three league matches of the 2016/17 season, but have just five wins in their past 14 league games and four victories in the past 11. However, they now have 11 wins in their past 20 outings in all competitions and are undefeated in the last 10 with seven wins and three draws. These include four Europa League triumphs along with three in the English League Cup. United has six draws in their past 11 league games including four out of the past five at Old Trafford.
Man United enters is still 13 points behind league-leading Chelsea, but they’re just four points back of fourth-place Arsenal though and a spot in next season’s European Champions League. United has fared well against teams below them, but has just one win against a team above them in the standings, which came against fifth-place Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 at home two weeks ago. They’ve been beaten by Man City and Chelsea and have draws with Liverpool and Arsenal. Manager Jose Mourinho has just a few injury problems to deal with as defenders and Chris Smalling are both questionable while forward James Wilson may be out for the rest of the campaign.
Sunderland – A Closer Look:
Sunderland has turned a bit of a corner with four wins in their past seven games, but they still sit in the relegation zone after a brutal start to the season. They enter the game in 18th place in the 20-team league with just 14 points from four wins, two draws and 11 defeats. They’ve scored 15 times and have allowed 28 goals against. On the bright side, they’re just a point behind Crystal Palace and climbing out of the drop zone. Sunderland has been pretty woeful on the road so far this season with a wind, a draw and six losses.
Manager David Moyes will be returning to one of his old stomping grounds at Old Trafford with several injury problems to deal with. Defender Jan Kirchhoff and forward Victor Anichebe are both listed as day to day while midfielder Jack Rodwell is expected to miss at least one more week. Forward Duncan Watmore and midfielder Paddy McNair are both expected to be out for the season while midfielder Lynden Gooch won’t be back until February and midfielder Lee Cattermole is out until March.
Manchester United vs Sunderland – Takeaway:
Well, David Moyes had a hard time winning at Old Trafford while he was in charge of Man United so nothing will likely be any different now that he’s with Sunderland. The three points will be massive for whoever ends up taking them.