With Champions League qualification for next season now secured, Michael Carrick has a chance to rotate his Manchester United squad as they prepare to face Sunderland. The Red Devils clinched their place in Europe’s elite competition following a dramatic 3-2 victory over arch-rivals Liverpool at Old Trafford last weekend.
This victory not only confirmed their Champions League spot with three games still to play but also marked United’s first Premier League double over Liverpool in a decade. United’s dominant performance against Liverpool effectively ended their two-year exile from the Champions League, meaning they cannot finish lower than fifth this term. The result was a huge boost for Carrick, further solidifying his credentials as the club’s next full-time manager, even though an official decision regarding his future has yet to be made.
Sunderland host Manchester United on Saturday hoping to spring a surprise on the Red Devils and keep their European hopes alive. The Black Cats sit 12th in the standings with three games remaining, but with Brentford in seventh place just four points above them, they still have an outside chance of snatching a Europa League or Conference League place.
Viewing information
- Date: Saturday, May 9 | Time: 10 p.m. ET
- Location: Stadium of Light, Sunderland
- TV: CBS
- Live stream: Paramount+
Lineups
Man Utd XI: Lammens; Mazraoui, Maguire, Martinez, Shaw, Mainoo, Fernandes, Cunha, Mount, Amad, Zirkzee
Subs: Bayindir, Dalot, Dorgu, Heaven, Malacia, Yoro, J. Fletcher, T. Fletcher, Mbeumo
Atletico Madrid XI: Jan Oblak; Marcos Llorente, Marc Pubill, David Hancko, Matteo Ruggeri; Giuliano Simeone, Koke, Johnny Cardoso, Ademola Lookman; Antoine Griezmann, Julian Alvarez.
Match preview
Winning, drawing or even losing by a narrow scoreline would have been acceptable for Arsenal at the Metropolitano Stadium last week, so a two-goal stalemate was a fine result at face value, although there was a palpable sense of Gunners frustration at full time.
Viktor Gyokeres and Julian Alvarez both held their nerve from 12 yards either side of the half-time whistle, but Arteta was left "furious" when his side had a second penalty overturned after a VAR review, during which his opposite number Diego Simeone was frenetically waving his arms behind referee Danny Makkelie.
Only Makkelie and his technology team can answer whether the Eberechi Eze-David Hancko incident met the 'clear and obvious' threshold, but controversy aside, avoiding defeat away from home in the first leg of a Champions League semi-final is still nothing to be scoffed at.
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