“I don’t think this is a particularly good game for Ten Hag’s side” - Chris Sutton predicts scoreline of Manchester United vs Sheffield United
Chris Sutton has predicted the scoreline for the match between Manchester United and Sheffield United in the Premier League at Old Trafford this midweek (April 24).
Sheffield are almost certainly going to be relegated from the Premier League, as they have simply been unable to keep up with the rest of the league. They have won merely three out of 33 games, losing 23, which is currently the worst record in the league, and the Red Devils are widely expected to deal with them.
Manchester United are not exactly having their best season, either, but they are doing much better than Sheffield, having won 15 out of 32 games. However, they have stumbled n recent times, notably conceding three goals in 20 minutes to a tier-two Coventry side in the FA Cup semi-final.
For Chris Sutton, Erik ten Hag's men will win, but how they "fell apart" against Coventry is a cause for concern. Sutton told BBC:
"I am going to predict a Manchester United win here. There was a guy who was quite abusive to me on X so I promised him I would pick Manchester United victories for the rest of the season, after I backed Coventry to beat them in the FA Cup."
He continued:
"I was nearly correct about Coventry too - as manager Mark Robins put it after their defeat, I was a toenail away from getting that one right. As much as anything, it was the way Manchester United fell apart after being 3-0 up that was the worry for them on Sunday, but they did get through in the end."
He then raised his concerns around the Red Devils facing Sheffield, before predicting a 2-0 win for United:
"I don't think this is a particularly good game for Erik ten Hag's side to face next though, against the team at the bottom of the table with nothing to lose. The Manchester United players probably won't relish being expected to win easily again, just as they were against Coventry, but even they should be able to beat Sheffield United - surely."
"It's mixed feelings" - Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag discusses Coventry close-shave
The Red Devils dominated the first half of their FA Cup semifinal against Coventry, but they simply could not manage the rest of the game properly. Their opponents turned up in full swing at Wembley during the last 20 minutes, scoring three goals to take the scoreline from 3-0 to 3-3.
Coventry eventually went on to lose on penalties, but if they had won, it would have been deserved. Erik ten Hag talked about the match afterwards, telling ITV (via Eurosport):
"We can't say this group doesn't have the right mentality because they showed character today, but in the final part there was a lack of discipline. It's mixed feelings. We can be happy with the achievement, getting to the final, that's huge."
Erik ten Hag will be hoping there are no "mixed feelings" after their next game against Sheffield United.