Manchester United Squad vs Sunderland
13:15pm – Last Sunday’s hard-fought, last-gasp victory at the Etihad stretched United’s lead at the top of the table to an attractive 6 points. There’s a long way to go, of course, but considering the lengthy injury list already suffered this season, as well as sustained periods of kamikaze defending, it’s a surprisingly healthy advantage to hold. With a kind festive fixture list – including a Santa-sized splattering of home matches (3 of next 4 at OT) – going into the New Year with, at the very least, the current gap of 6 points maintained is a realistic possibility. First up, Sunderland at Old Trafford, in a more-frequent-this-season-or-is-it-just-me 3pm Saturday kick-off.
Sunderland, who picked up only their third victory of the season against Reading in midweek, currently lie one point above the drop-zone in 15th place. After spending relatively heavily in the summer, their season is not panning out in the way their fans, and manager Martin O’Neil, had anticipated. A win at Old Trafford, while being their second away victory of the season, could also be enough to see them rise one place in the table, above neighbours Newcastle, who, ironically, play Manchester City in the early kick-off.
14:01pm – The Manchester United team news for Manchester City has just been released and is below:
MANCHESTER UNITED:
Staring XI:
De Gea, Jones, Smalling, Rio, Evra, Valencia, Carrick, Cleverley, Young, Rooney, RVP
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