Manchester United host newly-promoted Sunderland at Old Trafford on October 4.
The Red Devils are preparing to lock horns with Sunderland with hopes of entering the second international break of the season on a high.
In May, the Wearside outfit secured their promotion back to England’s top division after an eight-year absence, during which they even dropped down to League One for four straight seasons before returning to the Championship for the 2021/2022 campaign.
Then, in last term’s play-off final, they overturned major favourites Sheffield United 2-1 at Wembley courtesy of two late goals. The first came from Eliezer Mayenda in the 76th minute to level the scoring to 1-1 until Tom Watson’s finish in the fifth minute of injury time clinched an absolutely emphatic victory for the Black Cats whilst sending the travelling supporters into complete bedlam.
Regis Le Bris has since enjoyed a stellar start to 2025/2026, and it’s certainly been made easier with the help of Sunderland’s transformative summer signings. Young additions such as Habib Diarra (21), Simon Adingra (23) and Brian Brobbey (23) bolstered the manager’s ranks along with more experienced acquisitions such as Granit Xhaka (32) and Reinildo Mandalva (31).
The forthcoming clash between the two sides marks Sunderland’s first outing at the Theatre of Dreams since December 2016, so it goes without saying that tickets are in high demand for the encounter. Luckily for fans, there are still tickets available for Man United vs Sunderland.
In said game, the Black Cats fell to a 3-1 defeat at the hands of United. They also conceded three goals in the reverse fixture at the Stadium of Light, which saw the Reds win 3-0 in April 2017.
Yet, to say times have changed since the teams last met is an understatement, and it’s safe to say the Sunderland faithful will be travelling to Manchester with great belief they can leave with a strong result against the 20-time champions of England.
United’s lacklustre form has led to Ruben Amorim’s job security being under increasing pressure – especially their calamitous defeat to Grimsby Town in the second round of the Carabao Cup at Blundell Park.
Should the squad record anything other than a win on their home turf, it’ll only raise further doubts as to whether Amorim is really the man qualified enough to restore United to their former glories.
His newly implemented system simply isn’t working with the crop of players at his disposal, but he’s adamant he would rather leave than abandon his plans.
