Premier League preview: Man U v Sunderland

With Arsenal and Chelsea facing each other, Manchester United will be aiming to extend their lead in the English Premier League against Sunderland.

United are top by two points despite having played two games fewer than Manchester City and one less than Arsenal and Chelsea, who meet at Emirates Stadium on Monday.

Sir Alex Ferguson will be hoping that second-place Arsenal and the defending champions Chelsea cancel each other out, while aiming to take maximum points at home to Sunderland on Sunday.

If third-place Manchester City also fail to win away to Newcastle, United could find themselves as much as four points clear.

There will no complaints about tired bodies, with United having played just twice in December. Their last match, on December 13, ended in a 1-0 win at home to Arsenal.

Ferguson will be without John O’Shea, Paul Scholes and long-term absentees Owen Hargreaves and Antonio Valencia, while Michael Owen remains sidelined with a hamstring.

Sunderland’s match at home to Bolton was one of only two games to go ahead last week.

Steve Bruce’s team emerged victorious, with a Danny Welbeck strike securing a 1-0 win at the Stadium of Light.

Welbeck has been instrumental in Sunderland’s rise to sixth in the table success, excelling both in attack and on the flanks.

But Bruce will have to make do without the promising 20-year-old, who is on loan from United and ineligible to play against his parent club.

Sunderland are also without first-choice central defenders Titus Bramble and Michael Turner, while midfielder Lee Cattermole is suspended.

Bruce started both leading goal-scorer Darren Bent and record signing Asamoah Gyan against Bolton, but it remains to be seen if he will risk putting out such an attacking line-up away at the league leaders.