Manchester Utd v Sunderland Preview

The Reds have definitely started to tick. The odds of 4.3 at the start of September about them to retain the Premier League have shortened to 2.62, this is a clear indication to how Man Utd have gone about their work this month. After the early season setback defeat to Burnley, United have gone about answering the much raised question of how they would cope this season without the wizardry of Messrs Ronaldo and Tevez. Well answer they have, with bells on. Unbeaten since the Burnley setback, we’ve seen United score 16 goals in 5 games, overcoming no less than Spurs, Arsenal and Man City in the process, with a 2-0 win at stubborn Stoke last weekend coming in no small part due to some vintage Ryan Giggs. United won’t be able to call on Michael Owen who was taken off with a groin strain during United’s Champions League 2-1 home win against Wolfsburg in midweek, while Ben Foster returns between the sticks after Tomasz Kuszczak played in midweek.

Sunderland boss Steve Bruce pits his wits against his old gaffer Sir Alex Ferguson and the Cats should be going into this with some confidence. They assume an unfamiliar lofty position of 8^th in the league table and they recently bounced back from a shoddy 3-1 defeat at Burnley by thumping Wolves 5-2 at the Stadium of Light. After going 2-0 up, they resisted a Wolves comeback but should they defend like that against the Champions they could find themselves on the wrong end of a scoreline they enjoyed against Wolves. Unlike United, who were on Champions League duty in midweek, Sunderland have enjoyed almost a week off and go into this a bit fresher and Steve Bruce has the benefit of having no fresh injury worries following the Wolves win. He’s unlikely to risk Lee Cattermole though, who by Bruce’s own admission he put back in the side too early to play Wolves.

Sunderland’s fixtures have been kind to them, whereas United have had to dispatch a host of top half teams to put themselves where they are now, top of the Premier League. Despite the positive spin they’re putting on their impressive start to the season, a worrying statistic for Steve Bruce is that the Black Cats have failed to keep a clean sheet in 6 games and have been far from convincing on their travels. I’m expecting United to fully expose those defensive frailties and run out comfortable winners. I’ve liked what I’ve seen from Dimitar Berbatov this season and I can see him getting on the scoresheet at some time during the match.

Stake 4/10 on Dimitar Berbatov to score anytime at 2.37 with Skybet. Click here to place your bet!