Preview: Revenge or doom for David Moyes?
The Red Devils enter Wednesday’s Capital One Cup semi-final second leg clash at Old Trafford with a 2-1 disadvantage. What will happen at the Theatre of Dreams? Will the public be treated to a Manchester Derby at Wembley, as Manchester City wait to know the identity of their opponents in the final?
The Black Cats are on the brink of making history by defeating the odds to reach the ultimate stage. In 2014, the Premier League relegation zone club has picked up impressive results. They lost 1-0 to Aston Villa on New Year’s Day but bounced back by trouncing Fulham 4-1 ten days later. Recently, they took a point from their home game against Southampton.
Meanwhile, Manchester United have won only once since the beginning of the year. They crashed out of the FA Cup against Swansea City and carry a disappointing 3-1 defeat to Chelsea on their back. The Red Devils’ only realistic chance for silverware appears to be the Capital One Cup. Failing to reach the final would be a disaster for David Moyes. The ex-Everton manager has promised to sacrifice himself for the supporters. Winger Antonio Valencia echoed his coach’s comments during an interview with MUTV:
“Not only are we hopeful, we have the confidence and the motivation to ensure our fans will be enjoying a trip to Wembley,” said the Ecuadorian.
“Our fans will be supporting us as usual, which is very important. Alongside that, we need to go out with the attitude that we always have at home: to win the game.”
He concluded:
“For the new guys and coaching staff here, getting through would be a great confidence boost to keep working as we have been.
“It’s not about getting three points in the league; it’s about getting through to a final. Let’s hope we can do that as it’s very important to us.”
But Fabio Borini, who scored the match winner in the first leg, is determined to inflict a nightmare on the Red Devils at Old Trafford today. He was quoted as saying by ESPN FC:
“We’re going there to win and to play our game. It’s Man United. If you sit back, sooner or later they will score. They’ve got great players. We have to play our way to Wembley.”
Where to watch the match – live stream, start time, TV channels, live scores
Watch Manchester United vs Sunderland live on Wednesday, January 22, 2014:
In Canada at 14:45 ET:
Canada | beIN Sports Play Canada |
In UK at 19:45 GMT:
United Kingdom | BBC Radio 5 Live, Sky Sports 1 Ireland, Sky Sports 1/HD, NOW TV, Sky Go |
In USA at 14:45 ET:
United States | SiriusXM FC, beIN Sports Play, beIN Sports USA |
For live scores and worldwide live listings, visit the Man United-Sunderland match page.