Gus Poyet

Sunderland take on Manchester United in the 2014/15 Premier League season at the Stadium of Light on Sunday.

Where to Watch Live

Kick-off is set for 4pm BST. Live coverage is on Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 1 HD. Live Radio coverage is available on BBC Radio 5Live. Catch the highlights of the game on Match of the Day 2 on BBC One and BBC One HD at 10:30pm BST.

Overview

Sunderland will hope to take advantage of Manchester United's early season wobble when they take on the Red Devils on Sunday. The Wearside club came through a hard fought 2-2 draw against West Bromwich Albion on the opening weekend of the Premier League season.

Gus Poyet got the better of United twice last season. First, they beat them in the semi-finals of the Capital One Cup and then went on to beat them at Old Trafford at the end of last season. Except Italian midfielder Emanuele Giaccherini, Poyet will have a fully fit squad to choose from.

Louis van Gaal
Louis van Gaal Reuters

Meanwhile, United will hope to put the disappointment of the opening day 1-2 defeat to Swansea City and get their season started against the Black Cats. The Red Devils have brought in Marcos Rojo, who will strengthen their defence in the games ahead, but he is not available for the game against the Wearside club after he failed to get a work permit on time.

Louis van Gaal will be pleased to have talisman Robin van Persie, who has returned to full fitness after missing last week's game. But United are still struggling to make up the numbers, as they are still missing a whole host of first team players.

Midfielders Ander Herrera and Marouane Fellaini have been added to the injury list along with Michael Carrick (ankle), Jonny Evans (leg) and Luke Shaw (hamstring). Rojo is awaiting work permit while doubts remain over right-back Rafael (groin) and striker Danny Welbeck (knee).

Stat of the Match: 23 - Sunderland's win at Old Trafford in May ended a run of 23 Premier League games against Manchester United without a win.

What Managers Say

Gus Poyet (Sunderland): "They realise how weak mentally they were at the start of last season. Now they're thinking 'we're going to go for it. That's a great feeling for us. If we can repeat that, it's going to be difficult to play against us. For us, it's a special day, the first game at home of the season. But we need to be better than last week, be better on the ball, to have a chance."

Louis van Gaal (Manchester United): "Two weeks ago I was the king of Manchester. Now I am the devil. I was not hired to be fired, but to build up a team and that is a process that needs time. I bring another philosophy and that's difficult, because I have to give a lot of information."

Betting Odds (888Sport.com)

  • Sunderland to win: 62/17
  • Manchester United to win: 10/13
  • Draw: 37/13

Team News

Sunderland

Probable Lineup: Mannone; Roberge, O'Shea, Brown, Van Aanholt; Cattermole; Johnson, Rodwell, Larsson, Buckley; Fletcher.

Manchester United

Probable Lineup: De Gea; Jones, Smalling, Blackett; Valencia, Fletcher, Cleverley, Young; Mata, Rooney, Van Persie.

Sunderland AFC Manchester United FC Louis van Gaal Premier League