Manchester United will aim to lock down the third spot on the Premier League table when they take on Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.
The 2025/26 Premier League season has entered its endgame, and only three matchdays remain for the curtain call as battles across the table gather steam. Gameweek 36 will kick off this weekend, and the latest round of fixtures will start with the game between Liverpool and Chelsea at Anfield on Saturday afternoon, before continuing with three simultaneous matches, including Sunderland vs Manchester United at the Stadium of Light.
Sunderland may have been one of the surprise packages of the 2025/26 Premier League season, but they are limping towards a lower mid-table finish. The Black Cats have been underwhelming in recent weeks, and they will head into Saturday’s match on the back of a three-game winless run in the top flight. However, all is not lost yet, and the Wearside outfit can still qualify for a European competition, as they are only four points behind seventh-placed Brentford.
On the other hand, Manchester United will not have much to play for in the final three games of the 2025/26 season. The Red Devils have endured an imfamous historic season, as they will play only 40 games this term. However, they have mounted a stunning recovery under Michael Carrick, securing a spot in the 2026/27 UEFA Champions League with three games left.
The reverse fixture saw Manchester United clinch a hard-fought 2-0 win over Sunderland, with Mason Mount and Benjamin Sesko finding the back of the net. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Sunderland
Regis Le Bris has a new roster issue that is hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. However, he has also received some positive updates on the team news front. The Sunderland head coach will be bereft of the services of four first-team players vs Manchester United on Saturday.
Dan Ballard is the latest absentee after being sent off in the Premier League game against Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend. However, Nilson Angulo (knock) and Bertrand Traore (knee) are fit and available to take on Manchester United. So, Simon Moore (wrist), Romaine Mundle (thigh), and Jocelin Ta Bi (ankle) are the only players in the treatment room.
Robin Roefs is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Sunderland lining up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of him vs Manchester United on Saturday. The backline will feature Nordi Mukiele, Omar Alderete, Luke O’Nien, and Trai Hume.
As for the midfield unit, Habib Diarra should join Granit Xhaka and Noah Sadiki in the middle of the park, with the trio looking to keep things tight in the central areas. Finally, Brian Brobbey will lead the line for Sunderland against Manchester United, with Chris Rigg and Enzo Le Fee completing the numbers in the offensive unit.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Roefs; Mukiele, Alderete, O’Nien, Hume; Diarra, Xhaka, Sadiki; Rigg, Brobbey, Le Fee
Manchester United
Like his counterpart in the Sunderland dugout, Michael Carrick has received positive updates on the team news front ahead of the trip to the Stadium of Light. The Manchester United head coach will be without one first-team player on Saturday.
Lisandro Martinez has served his three-match suspension, and he will be available to take on Sunderland this weekend. So, Matthijs de Ligt (lower back) is the only player in the treatment room. While Carrick has been sweating over Benjamin Sesko’s fitness, the Slovenian striker should be fit for Saturday’s match.
Senne Lammens is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Manchester United lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Sunderland on Saturday. The backline will feature Diogo Dalot, Harry Maguire, Ayden Heaven, and Luke Shaw.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo in the double pivot, with Bruno Fernandes reprising the no. 10 role. Finally, Benjamin Sesko will spearhead the Manchester United attack against Sunderland, with Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo being the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Lammens; Dalot, Maguire, Heaven, Shaw; Casemiro, Mainoo; Mbeumo, Bruno Fernandes, Cunha; Sesko
Key Stats
- Sunderland have won just three of their 33 Premier League games vs Manchester United (D6 L24), with their 24 defeats against the Red Devils their most against any opponent in the competition. Meanwhile, the Red Devils have suffered defeat on only one of their 15 visits to the Stadium of Light to face Sunderland in the Premier League (W10 D4), going down 2-1 in February 2016.
- Sunderland have not won their last 28 Premier League matches against teams starting the day in the top four of the table (D9 L19) since a 2-1 victory away at Chelsea in April 2014 under Gus Poyet.
- Since Michael Carrick’s first Premier League game in charge of Manchester United this season on January 17, Manchester United have won more points than any other side (32). Carrick has won more points in his 14 games than Ruben Amorim managed in his 20 games this season (31).
- Only Wolverhampton Wanderers (6), Burnley (7), and Nottingham Forest (10) have opened the scoring in fewer Premier League games than Sunderland this season (12). However, the Black Cats are one of three sides still unbeaten when scoring first (W7 D5), along with Forest (W8 D2) and Manchester United (W15 D7).
- Only Aston Villa (14.3) have overperformed their expected points more than Sunderland in the Premier League this season (10.2), who have 47 points and an expected points total of 36.8. Meanwhile, since Michael Carrick’s first game in charge in January, Manchester United have overperformed their xP more than any other side (11.3 – 32 points from 20.7 expected).
Player to Watch
Bruno Fernandes
While Granit Xhaka, Brian Brobbey, and Benjamin Sesko were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Bruno Fernandes as the Player to Watch for Saturday’s Premier League clash between Sunderland and Manchester United at the Stadium of Light.
The Manchester United skipper has created five or more chances in 14 different Premier League games in 2025/26. Since 2003/04, only Mesut Ozil has done so more often in a season (15 in 2015/16). His 120 chances created this season are the most by a United player in one campaign on record since 2003/04. With the assists record in sight, the Portuguese international will be the go-to player for the away side this weekend.
Prediction
Sunderland 1-3 Manchester United
A few months ago, this tie may have been a banana-skin fixture for Manchester United, as Sunderland could do little wrong, while they were blowing hot and cold. However, the Red Devils have been exceptional under Michael Carrick, and with Bruno Fernandes chasing the all-time Premier League assists record for a season, they will go all guns blazing.
Meanwhile, Manchester United have scored in their last 23 Premier League games since a 1-0 home loss to Everton in November. Only once have they enjoyed a longer scoring run in the competition, going 36 games between December 2007 and November 2008.
That streak should continue this weekend, with the visitors continuing their exceptional run under Carrick. While the home side will not go down without a fight, they will not have enough quality and defensive solidity to keep Manchester United at bay. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for Carrick and his charges.
