Game Week 36 Predictions: United to beat Sunderland

Bruno Fernandes is in search of his 20th assist of the season at Sunderland to level with Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne. Will Sunderland...

Bruno Fernandes is in search of his 20th assist of the season at Sunderland to level with Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne. Will Sunderland let him? (Photo credit: DAZN)

 Sunderland vs Manchester United

Stadium of Light

3:pm

It's amazing how the Stadium of Light went from being a fortress to where people stroll in casually to pick three points. It's not likely to be different when United visits on Saturday.

There's a huge danger in complacency. The Black Cats have relaxed their guards since being confirmed to have survived the drop. The players no longer cover grounds or give respectable fights. They must be wary of such spirit if they don't want to fight relegation next season.

To be honest, Regis Le Bris and his men punched above their weight for a long period. The status quo for the past two seasons was newly promoted sides returning to the Championship League immediately after their promotion. Sunderland has changed that.

Manchester United will go into this fixture at Sunderland on the back of three straight wins. With three games to go, the Red Devils have booked their tickets to next season's Champions League and will cement third spot on the log with a win at Sunderland.

From the shadows of the tragic reigns of Ruben Amorim, Manchester United has risen to the glory of old. Michael Carrick has given them a new identity; United is fun to watch again, and all the players are fighting for the badge again.

This game has a United win written all over it. You might expect the Red Devils to go a gear lower after achieving their season objectives; pride is on the line, and it might also be a great opportunity for Carrick to hand some fringe players opportunities.

Bruno Fernandes was voted the player of the season by the Football Writers Association. The mercurial midfielder is one assist shy of levelling with the great Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne on 20 for a season. Will he get it in this game?

Dan Ballard will miss this game after his red card against Wolves ended his season. Regis Le Bris rued the unfortunate incident that got his defender sent off and is asking for the hair-pulling rule to be revisited. He must, however, find a solution to the Ballard miss.

Watch out for Cunha, Benjamin Sesko, and Bryan Mbeumo in this game. The latter has lost steam since the turn of the year, having been United's best player in the first part of the season. Lisandro Martinez is expected to return to the lineup, too.

The United defense will need to cope with the strength of Bryan Brobbey. The Dutchman will have a say in proceedings, but the firepower of the visitors should be too much for the resilience of the Black Cats.

Verdict: United to win.