United head to the Stadium of Light with the main job already done. Champions League football is secured, the mood around the side is completely different from where it was a few months ago, and a win here would put Carrick’s side in position to guarantee third place if Liverpool fail to win their next match. Sunderland, meanwhile, sit 12th on 47 points and are still just about clinging to outside hopes of sneaking into the top seven.
That makes this an interesting sort of game. The pressure isn’t the same as it was against Brentford or Chelsea, but there is still plenty to play for. United have won three league games in a row since the Leeds defeat and no Premier League side has picked up more points than Carrick’s team since he took charge in mid-January. Sunderland have gone three without a win, including that heavy 5-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest, and their home form has dipped at the wrong time.
It is also one of those fixtures where the history clearly favours us. United won the reverse game 2-0 at Old Trafford in October, have won 24 of 33 Premier League meetings with Sunderland, and have lost only once in 15 league visits to the Stadium of Light. So while Sunderland have had a good season back in the top flight, this is still a game United will expect to handle.
Manchester United Team News
The big boost is Lisandro Martinez being available again after his three-game suspension, and he feels likely to come straight back into the side even though Ayden Heaven has done well. Matthijs de Ligt is still out with the back problem that has kept him sidelined since November, while Benjamin Sesko is carrying a shin issue after coming off at half-time against Liverpool, although the expectation from both preview coverage pieces is that he should still be available. Patrick Dorgu is also back fit, which at least gives Carrick another option on the left if he wants one.
That probably leaves Carrick with one main decision: whether he just restores Martinez and otherwise keeps things steady, or whether he rotates a little now that top five is secured. Football Writers’ player of the year Bruno Fernandes, obviously, will still be central to everything, and there is a small extra subplot there too as he sits one assist short of matching the Premier League single-season record of 20.
Sunderland Team News
Sunderland’s biggest issue is at the back. Dan Ballard is suspended after his red card against Wolves, which is likely to force a reshuffle in central defence, while Romaine Mundle remains out injured. Bertrand Traore and Nilson Angulo have both trained this week and could make the squad, but neither looks like a guaranteed starter.
They still have enough about them to cause problems, though. Granit Xhaka remains the big name in midfield, Le Fée gives them some quality between the lines, and Brobbey offers a direct threat up front. Sunderland have not won in three, but they are still only a few points off the top half cluster above them, so this is not a side just drifting to the beach.
The Context
It’s less about jeopardy and more about momentum. Carrick has already dragged United back into the Champions League places and now has the chance to put a very tidy finish on the league season. United have taken 32 points under him, more than any other Premier League side in that stretch, and another win here would make it four in a row in the league.
For Sunderland, the tone is slightly different. Le Bris has done a good job overall and a mid-table finish is still a strong outcome for a newly promoted side, but the last few weeks have taken a bit of shine off things. One point from the last three league games is not what they wanted, and their record against top-four sides is grim too, with no win in 28 top-flight matches against teams starting the day in the top four since 2014.
Tactical Focus
This feels like a game United should be able to control if they start properly. Sunderland do not score a lot, they have only 37 league goals, and they have lost four of their last five at home. The danger is more in letting the game drift into something loose and emotional, especially with the home crowd sensing one of the bigger fixtures of Sunderland’s season.
The obvious key man is Bruno again. Sunderland’s previews have already clocked that so much of United’s threat still runs through him, whether in open play or from set-pieces, and with the assist record in sight you can expect him to keep forcing the issue. If United get him receiving high enough up the pitch, with Mainoo helping progress the ball and Mbeumo and Cunha running either side, there should be enough quality there to pull Sunderland apart.
Predicted XI
Lammens;
Dalot, Maguire, Martinez, Shaw;
Casemiro, Mainoo;
Mbeumo, Fernandes, Cunha;
Sesko.
Predicted Score
Sunderland will make it competitive, and there is enough edge in the occasion to stop this feeling like a dead rubber. But United are in better shape, they have more quality across the pitch, and historically this has been a very kind away trip for us.
Sunderland 0-2 United
