Sunderland v Man Utd Tip

The news that Steven Fletcher suffered ankle ligament damage while playing for Scotland on Friday night could have disastrous repercussions for Sunderland. The 25-year-old is almost certain to miss at least 4-6 weeks with the injury, and could be ruled out for the remainder of the season if surgery is required.

The setback is the last thing Martin O’Neill needs as he attempts to end a winless run of seven top flight matches against runaway Premier League leaders Manchester Utd on Saturday. The Black Cats have scored fewer goals than Wigan and Reading, both in the bottom three, and would probably be there themselves without Fletcher’s contribution of 11 league goals.

For their part, United keep on relentlessly winning and you can be sure Ferguson is pushing his team hard to maintain that momentum and really trounce neighbours City in the so-called title race. The Red Devils are 8/11 (BetVictor) to collect three more points at the Stadium of Light but I would favour a victory to nil at best odds of 15/8 with Skybet. They have won with a clean sheet in their last five Premier League outings.