Prediction: Manchester United vs Sunderland

Verdict: Man Utd to win to nil

Best Odds: 8/11

Bookmaker: bet365

Manchester United are very much back in the top 4 chase after yet another impressive triumph and the Boxing Day clash against Sunderland will be a perfect opportunity to further improve their league position. The Black Cats did well to end a barren run of results by defeating Watford, but they now face a tough task of avoiding defeat at Old Trafford.

Manchester United

Manchester United have experienced all sorts of problems under Jose Mourinho, who has spent last six months searching for his best starting XI, but even though the Special One made quite a few mistakes during his early days at Old Trafford, he did well to correct some of those. Michael Carrick, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Marcos Rojo are some of the players who were nowhere near the starting line-up in the opening exchanges, only to become important members of the team, and while Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba have been stealing the headlines, it is the trio’s performances that made all the difference. Just when everybody started to write them off, Manchester United went on to win four straight games in all competitions, with Premier League triumphs over Tottenham Hotspur, Crystal Palace and West Bromwich especially important. And with Arsenal losing their last two fixtures, the Red Devils now trail fourth-placed Gunners just four points, and now have the opportunity to further close the gap by defeating relegation-threatened Sunderland. Now that the confidence is back, Jose Mourinho’s side have seriously raised their game and they look a good bet to make it four Premiership wins on the bounce.

Team News

Chris Smalling returned into action after recovering from a toe problem, while Eric Bailly should be fit to play as well, although they will probably have to settle for a place on the bench.

Luke Shaw is unlikely to be ready for the Sunderland clash even though he is on the road to recovery and should be available for selection shortly.

Sunderland

The Boxing Day clash at Old Trafford will see David Moyes return to the Theatre of Dreams since he was sacked from the post in April 2014 and there are no doubts the Scottish manager will have an extra motive to help Sunderland record a positive result on Monday evening. The current Black Cats boss has managed to get his team back on track after a disappointing start as the Stadium of Light outfit now sit just one point adrift of safety. Sunderland further improved their survival hopes with a narrow win over Watford and that was their fourth triumph in last seven games, which is an excellent record for their standards. Full-back Patrick van Aanholt proved an unlikely hero as he scored early into the second period as the likes of Jermain Defoe, Victor Anichebe and Fabio Borini were all misfiring. The attacking trio will need to be more ruthless in front of goal if Sunderland are to stop high-flying Manchester United from winning at Old Trafford, while the back line just need to continue in the same manner after conceding just once in last two games. Serious injury crisis is also creating problems for David Moyes, while the run of five defeats in last six away fixtures is a cause for concern as well.

Team News

The good news is that Steven Pienaar, Javier Manquillo and Billy Jones have all resumed training, but Pienaar and Jones are just one yellow away from suspension.

Meanwhile, Jack Rodwell, Jan Kirchhoff, Lee Cattermole, Paddy McNair, Duncan Watmore and Lynden Gooch are definitely out.

Key Factors to Consider

• Man Utd won six of last seven home games vs Sunderland (L1)
• Only one team scored in their last three meetings at Old Trafford
• Man Utd won last four matches, conceding just one goal
• Sunderland lost five of last six away fixtures
• David Moyes returns to Old Trafford for the first time since he was sacked

Conclusion

Manchester United have seriously raised their game of late and having won four straight games while conceding just one goal in the process, we are backing them to continue the trend. The Black Cats have been misfiring of late and we seriously doubt they will be able to find the net on David Moyes’ return to Old Trafford.

Verdict: Man Utd to win to nil

Best Odds: 8/11

Bookmaker: bet365