Sunderland v Man Utd: Back strong travellers to quell crisis talk

Sunderland v Manchester United
Tuesday, 19:45
Live on Sky Sports 1

David Moyes will be hoping that his side's campaign is looking a little brighter by the time they leave the north east.

The visitors line up for this one having been dumped out of the FA Cup by Swansea on Sunday - and that makes this trophy all the more important as Moyes, as his side fall behind in the hunt for the Premier League title.

Four defeats from their last six outings at Old Trafford suggests that the 2012/13 champions are crumbling under the pressure of home advantage, and, in some ways, they may be relieved that this clash takes them out of that environment, as they look to get back to winning ways.

Sunderland go into this game sitting bottom of the top tier following a similarly underwhelming start to the campaign - but the Black Cats have looked resurgent since Gus Poyet arrived at the helm.

Just one loss in seven fixtures suggests that the hosts have a more determined and solid mentality about their play, and three unbeaten from their last four in front of their own fans indicates that the Stadium of Light is becoming a difficult place to visit once again.

An extra time defeat of favourites Chelsea in the last round of this competition will buoy Poyet's men ahead of this challenge - and they will know that, if they can edge ahead in this first leg, they stand a real chance of booking their place at Wembley for the final.

Match Odds

For all of United's woes in front of their own fans, their record away from Old Trafford is actually very impressive.

Moyes' boys have gone a whopping 11 games without suffering a loss on their travels, and seven wins in that time, including their last four on the trot, suggests that there is some of the 'old' United left in there, somewhere.

Four clean sheets from five away from home underlines the dominance shown by the Red Devils in recent weeks, and that quality should prove too much for a Sunderland side which, although looking brighter than in their early season exchanges, has still struggled to beat even lower half Premier League sides of late.

Over/Under 2.5 Goals

Moyes will take his squad up north to this game knowing that, on recent performances, his side desperately need to go into the return fixture with an advantage - and for that reason, I think that he will look to attack the hosts in the hope of nudging ahead early.

United have hit two or more in eight of their last 10 on the road - and for all the talk of a crisis down at Old Trafford, let's not forget the wealth of firepower that Moyes has at his disposal.

Meanwhile, Sunderland have managed just a single clean sheet in six at home - and have conceded at least one goal in three of their last four Capital One cup outings.

A flutter on Over 2.5 Goals would've come good in four of United's last five fixtures, and two of Sunderland's last three - and for that reason, I reckon it's cracking value at just short of Evens.

First Goalscorer

We've identified that there may well be goals in this game - but who's going to break the deadlock?

Sunderland have hit six goals in their last four games, and with half a dozen players to thank for those exploits, it's clear that the Black Cats have been practising their shooting over the last month or so.

Steven Fletcher is shortest to break the deadlock for the home side, but he has hardly been firing on all cylinders this season.

Set piece specialist Seb Larsson is a big 1918/1 to notch the first goal of the game, and Ki Sung-Yeung, who successfully despatched a penalty in the 1-0 win at Everton, could also be worth a look at around 15s.

As for the visitors, Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney are favourites to inflict the first damage of the game but I like the look of Danny Welbeck, who has notched three in his last five games, to make his mark at 5.49/2.

Recommended Bets
Back Over 2.5 Goals @ 1.9620/21
Back Danny Welbeck for First Goalscorer @ 5.49/2
Back Manchester United to win @ 1.728/11