BBC Sport pundit Chris Sutton has dropped a clear-cut scoreline prediction for Manchester United’s forthcoming Premier League clash against Sheffield United at Old Trafford on Wednesday.
Manchester United return to Premier League action hot on the heels of reaching the FA Cup final after surviving a real scare against Coventry City at Wembley.
The Red Devils were leading Coventry City 3-0 in the second half before capitulating in regular playing time and allowing Mark Robins’ men back into the match.
However, United managed to avoid defeat to the Championship side in extra time and the Red Devils sealed their FA Cup semi-final win on Sunday thanks to penalties.
Erik ten Hag’s men have kept their hopes of challenging for the FA Cup alive, although their top-four Premier League ambitions appear all but over.
United are currently seventh in the Premier League table and are a whopping 16 points behind fourth-place Aston Villa in the race for Champions League football.
While Aston Villa have played two more matches than United, Erik ten Hag’s side are extremely unlikely to finish inside the Premier League top four this season.
Sutton on Man Utd vs Coventry City
Manchester United will return to Wembley in May for a repeat of last season’s FA Cup final, with Manchester City securing their place as the Red Devils’ opponents.
Erik ten Hag’s men suffered a 2-1 defeat in the 2023 FA Cup final at Wembley and the Dutchman will hope to avoid a repeat in the upcoming Manchester derby.
However, United made a right meal of reaching the final and the performance against Coventry City left a lot to be desired for Red Devils boss Ten Hag.
Speaking in his BBC Sport column, Chris Sutton admitted that he was “nearly correct” about Coventry after backing the Red Devils to lose in the FA Cup.
“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 wrote.
“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.”
Sutton’s prediction for Man Utd vs Sheffield United
Sheffield United will travel to Old Trafford on Wednesday, with kick-off for the Premier League clash slated for 8pm UK time.
Chris Wilder’s men are currently bottom of the Premier League and have five league matches remaining in their bid to escape relegation this season.
Despite Sheffield United losing three of their last five Premier League matches, Sutton has claimed that the Red Devils are facing a team “with nothing to lose.”
However, the TNT Sports commentator and pundit has backed United to win 2-0 and would be baffled if the Red Devils failed to beat Chris Wilder’s side.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
