Momentum is a funny thing in soccer, and it tends to stick around from game to game. Last weekend, Manchester United blew a 1-0 lead on the road against Chelsea late and walked away with just a point, while Sunderland came back from down 2-0 in the last quarter of an hour and celebrated swiping a point at Anfield against Liverpool.
Now, the paths of the Red Devils and Black Cats cross on Saturday at the Stadium of Light, and it would take a brave man to simply suggest that Manchester United will walk away with three easy points against a team fighting for its life in the Premier League.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Sunderland +400
Manchester United -133
Draw +270
Over/Under 2.5 (under -135)
ODDS ANALYSIS
United really should be the odds-on favorite here, knowing that Sunderland, for all it did well last weekend, is still pretty definitively the second-worst team in the Premier League this year next to Aston Villa. The Black Cats are just 3-3-6 at home, and the likelihood of them toppling one of the top teams in the country feel like they should be slim.
Still, it's worth remembering that Man U is just 5-4-4 this term away from home, and making it a -133 favorite against anyone feels a bit high.
The total in this clash is understandably a shade low at 2.5 and -135 vig on the under. However, these two teams have only combined to score a total of 62 goals in 25 fixtures apiece, an average of 2.48 per game.
KEY INJURIES
Phil Jones is set to return to the fold after sitting out a couple weeks injured, while Adnan Januzaj could be right behind him as well. Louis van Gaal is still entering Match Day 26 without Marcos Rojo, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Luke Shaw and Antonio Valencia, all of which have been long-term absentees.
Fabio Borini missed out on the clash against Liverpool last weekend to do illness, but he should be back in training this week and be fresh for the clash at home against United. The same can't be said for Jeremain Lens, who will sit out again on Saturday in all likelihood with a groin injury.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"When we scored we had more belief about us, and if you've got someone like Jermain Defoe up front, you've got a chance. Coming from 2-0 down at Anfield is great credit to the players for never saying die." – Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce on the epic comeback against Liverpool last weekend
RECENT FORM
The Red Devils let another opportunity slip for maximum points last Sunday at Stamford Bridge, though at least they can say they've gone three straight matches taking at least a point. They've also scored in three fixtures in a row. That might not seem like the greatest feat ever, but for a team which really struggled through December to find the back of the net, small steps are worth celebrating.
The Black Cats have had their highs and lows of late. They've represented themselves well against both Liverpool and Man City in recent weeks, and their last really dreadful match was a 4-1 loss to Tottenham at White Hart Lane on January 16.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
Back in September, Manchester United clocked Sunderland 3-0 in a match which truly was as lopsided as the final score suggests. However, these are much different teams in much different form at the moment.
Last year, we saw Leicester pull off the great escape from the bottom of the table, and look at where the Foxes are now! Could Big Sam be the next to lead his team from the depths to ultimately survive and thrive?
Let's not get totally ahead of ourselves here, but it's clear if this team plays with the heart, particularly defensively that it showed against both City and Liverpool these last couple weeks, this is a winnable match. It's hard to bank on a 4 to 1 result, even on a team playing at home with everything to gain and little to lose, but we're taking the plunge anyway.
The temperature on van Gaal has been turned down a bit of late, but losing at Sunderland could really ratchet up his problems.
Sunderland 1, Manchester United 0
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