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Happy Christmas, Busby Babers!
Fun as it often is, Christmas-time can lead to awkward conversations with distant family members who've been getting on fine, yeah, thanks for asking. Well, okay, bearing up. You know how it is. Getting by. Of course, it's difficult. But you keep on keeping on. You know.
In entirely unrelated news, David Moyes is back at Old Trafford today, two years and eight months after one of the oddest managerial appointments of recent times reached its inevitable conclusion. He, as we know, feels that United's decision to sack him in favour of appointing foreigners and spending money amounts to a betrayal of the club's traditions. This presumably helps him process things.
He returns with a Sunderland team deep in the sticky stuff of relegation: 18th, with 14 points and a goal difference of -13. But after making the worst start in living memory, their league form has ticked up a touch in the last two months, and they've won at home to Hull, Leicester and Watford, and away to Bournemouth.
That said, United can welcome Eric Bailly and Henrikh Mkhitaryan back to the squad, and everybody should be fairly well rested after a week's break. The home team will be strong favourites, with just the Curse of the Ex and the danger of Jermain Defoe to keep an eye out for.
HOW TO WATCH
When: 15:00 UK time, 10:00 Eastern, 8:00 Pacific
Where: Old Trafford, Manchester
Television: It's not on television in the UK, but across the Atlantic you'll need to switch to NBCSN.
Streaming: In the US, NBC streaming services will see you right. In the UK, you'll have to either find an improvised, semi-legal solution — which we absolutely cannot condone — or keep an eye on Twitter. Your call.
This will also be our Live Thread for the game, so share your thoughts as the action unfolds in the comments section.