On the back of their disappointing defeat to Swansea last week, Manchester United welcome Sunderland to Old Trafford, with Louis van Gaal looking to get his team back to winning ways as the race for the top four intensifies.
Only four points separate Tottenham Hotspur in seventh position and United in fourth, with Southampton and Liverpool occupying fifth and sixth place respectively. The Red Devils face a tricky month in March with fixtures against Tottenham and Liverpool in the Premier League, and they will look to regain some momentum with a positive result this weekend.
Louis van Gaal will not be able to call upon the services of Robin van Persie after he reportedly damaged his ankle ligaments against Swansea and could be out for up to a month. No official announcement has been made by the club yet as they have been mysteriously quiet about the extent of injury but we expect van Gaal to inform the media of the situation in his press conference Friday afternoon.
The injury to van Persie could mean a final chance for Radamel Falcao to earn himself a permanent move to Old Trafford in the summer with a consistent run in the team. He has failed to demonstrate the form of previous season’s where he was arguably the most dangerous striker in the world. His time is running out, and now is a good as time as ever to prove himself.
Also set to miss out this weekend for Manchester United are Michael Carrick, who has been side-lined with an calf injury, and youngster James Wilson, who has a hip problem after playing in an under-21’s game earlier in the week.
Ander Herrera is expected to start in only his eighth Premier League game this weekend following his good run of form and goal against Swansea. Antonio Valencia may return to the first eleven at right back as van Gaal will look for more attacking potency from his fully backs which was largely missing against Swansea.
Gus Poyet will hope to inspire his team to another victory at Old Trafford on Saturday as he had done last season, a victory which secured Sunderland’s safety in the Premier League. However, he is all too aware that the Man United team he will be preparing his team face, will be looking to bounce back after their defeat to Swansea.
He said, “It is going to be tough, they have to come back [after Swansea loss], they know us because of what happened last year.” (www.safc.com)
It will be tough for Sunderland though, and with only one victory in their last nine Premier League fixtures, The Black Cats will need to be at their very best to stop their poor run form on Saturday at Old Trafford.
They will be unable to select tricky Italian winger Emanuele Giaccherini who has undergone ankle surgery this week and could be set to miss out on the rest of the season, whilst Jack Rodwell (calf), Will Buckley (knee) and Billy Jones (ankle) are also doubts, and are unlikely to be risked.
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