Poyet sizes up United test Published: 21 January, 2014 by Stuart Vose 'It's a game we need to manage properly.' Gus Poyet is looking forward to having a crack at reaching a major final when Sunderland face Manchester United in the second leg of the Capital One Cup semi-finals on Wednesday. The Black Cats turned in an excellent performance at home in the first leg earlier this month, beating the Red Devils 2-1 thanks to a Fabio Borini penalty. It’s a great opportunity to put ourselves in a final but we’ve only done part of the job - Gus Poyet Now the action switches to Old Trafford for the return, with a date at Wembley in March awaiting the winners of the tie. “You don’t get to a semi-final every year – sometimes not even in 10 years,” Poyet told safc.com ahead of the game. “It’s a great opportunity to put ourselves in a final but we’ve only done part of the job. You never know how much – whether 50% or not – but definitely a part. “We must go there and try to make sure we finish the job and put ourselves in the final.” Sunderland head to the north west with the one-goal advantage but Poyet says that will go firmly to the back of the players’ minds in the build-up to the game. And he is looking for his side to get forward as usual and produce a “complete” performance. “We’re going to play the game as normal,” he said. “The idea is to play the game and then you make decisions. We must attack to create chances and score goals. If we score then it will be more difficult for Manchester United - Poyet looking to get forward “It’s a game we need to manage properly. “We need a complete game – we must defend well, be strong and be good on the ball – much better than the other day [against Southampton]. “We must attack to create chances and score goals. If we score then it will be more difficult for Manchester United.” In trying to reach the club’s first cup final since 1992, Poyet’s side will be backed by 9,000 travelling supporters with every seat quickly snapped up. And Sunderland’s head coach says the sheer quantity of fans making the trip from the north east adds an extra element to the game. “It’s going to be great seeing that quantity of fans away from home – it’s a special occasion,” he said. “The idea is to give them a great day and make them happy.”
Apparently we have snapped up another 7000 for there end meaning 16,000 mackems of the red & white army will be in attendance, i make that around a 5th of the stadium Haaaaaaaaaawaaaaaaaaaay!
For anybody jumping on 73's coaches UPDATE FOR ALL TRAVELLING WITH US TOMORROW TO OLD TRAFFORD 1) Our coaches will be leaving from Park Lane bus station at set times starting from 1:30-2:00pm and NOT from outside the SoL. 2) Pre Match party at Ttonic starts from 12 and from here you will be greeted by our staff who will allocate your party a coach number and departure time. (Keep this on you at all times) 3) Strictly NO alcohol on coaches! 4) Any issues or general queries just drop us a message. 5) If you have booked a seat with us and are no longer attending its urgent you let us know so we can offer the seat to a fellow fan when we run out of our allocation. 6) After the match please make your way straight back to the coach as we cannot wait for you when the police tell us to leave the ground so you will be left. 7) Finally, enjoy the day and hopefully Wembley is our next stop. HAWAY THE LADS
Sunderland lead by a solitary goal going into the second leg of tomorrows Capital One Cup semi-final against Manchester United. An own goal from Ryan Giggs and a penalty from Fabio Borini handed the Black Cats the narrow advantage at the Stadium of Light two weeks ago, but not all is won for the Black Cats, as United will look to bounce back from their defeat at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. David Moyes’ side lost 3-1 to Jose Mourinho’s team condemning them to their seventh defeat in the Premier League this season. But with the United Premier League title defence all but lost, silverware is a must for Moyes and the Capital One Cup would appear to be welcome trophy after their early FA Cup exit to Swansea. Old Trafford hasn’t been the fortress it once was either. Moyes’ team have lost their five times in all competitions, losing to the likes of West Brom, Newcastle, Everton, Swansea and Tottenham. So Sunderland boss Gus Poyet will take the trip to the North West with very little to fear as his side have only lost one of their last 10 games in all competitions. The Black Cats are also unbeaten in their last five away Premier League matches and can boast having only conceded three goals in that time. With this in mind both teams will have a point to prove after their results at the weekend saw both clubs fail to pick up three points. Sunderland managed to fight back from two goals down to get a draw, however, they won’t be allowed another slow start as United will be keen to whip out the one goal advantage the visitors have. But in United’s quest to do so, they’ll be without the scorer of their away goal at the Stadium of Light, Nemanja Vidic, who was sent off on Sunday against Chelsea. Key Players: Wes Brown. Games like this call on your experienced players. You need them to lead by example and despite Brown having made a few errors in his last couple of games, concentration is vital and someone to calm the nerves pre-match and throughout the game is needed. Brown can lead on and off the pitch. One to watch: Michael Carrick. If Wayne Rooney and Robin Van Persie are both fit then without a doubt they will be the key individuals for United. But Carrick is a constant figure in the United side and he will be pivotal in starting moves off, keeping the ball moving and trying to silence the 9,000 travelling Sunderland fans. He doesn’t score many goals but his passes can slice the Black Cats in half. Predicted line-ups: Manchester United: De Gea; Rafael, Ferdinand, Evans, Buttner; Carrick, Giggs, Januzaj, Kagawa; Welbeck, Hernandez. Sunderland: Mannone; Bardsley, O’Shea, Brown, Alonso; Cattermole, Ki, Colback; Johnson, Altidore, Borini.
And the Lord said..The cat that is black shall face up to the sky that is blue and the devils of red shall be cast into the shadows...
i land at manc airport around 9:30 am! i'll be fooked by lunchtime.. he he. plenty time to do a recky.
