Two clubs in the bottom half of the Premier League table will do battle today in a league match between Sunderland and West Ham United. The first-division clash scheduled for 3 p.m. ET will be held at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland and can be live streamed here free.
With four points separating his club from safety, Sunderland manager Gus Poyet understands he can ill-afford to take a day off. Just hours after an exploratory knee operation, the Uruguayan was back at his desk at the club's training ground. He did, however, allow his assistant Charlie Oatway to take on the media responsibilities (h/t to the Daily Mail). "I do tell him to take a day off. I said to him 'go and play nine holes' and relax but he won't, because he won't let the players do it, Oatway said.
"Hopefully we can stay up and he can have a nice break at the end of the season watching the World Cup," he added.
"He's happy, he loves what he does and he loves working for this club. As long as him and Taricco have a nice Italian restaurant near them, and can be back in their beds by 10, then they're happy. They'll be the first ones in at 7.30 in the morning."
"When we came in here there were issues going on in certain parts of the camp. He's had to deal with some of that as well. The stakes are a lot higher in the Premier League and there are problems that come with being the league but nothing fazes him. He just takes everything as it comes."
What Poyet would love to take is a victory over a visiting West Ham side this afternoon. Will he capture it? Tell us @SportsWN
Tactical Preview
Player to Watch: West Ham's Mark Noble has been the defensive bite in the club's 4-2-3-1 formation. The 26-year-old has completed 1,296 passes with an 82.6 percent accuracy and averages 2.7 tackles per match this season.
Sunderland's Projected Lineup (4-3-3): Mannone; Alonso, Brown, O'Shea, Bardsley; Colback, Cattermole, Sung; Borini, Altidore, Johnson
West Ham United's Projected Lineup (4-2-3-1): Adrian; McCartney, Johnson, Tomkins, Demel; Taylor, Noble; Diame, Nolan, Downing; Carroll
Premier League Table
| Rnk | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | +/- | Pts | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 32 | 22 | 5 | 5 | 88 | 39 | 49 | 71 | |||
| 2 | Chelsea | 32 | 21 | 6 | 5 | 62 | 24 | 38 | 69 | |||
| 3 | Manchester City | 30 | 21 | 4 | 5 | 80 | 28 | 52 | 67 | |||
| 4 | Arsenal | 32 | 19 | 7 | 6 | 56 | 37 | 19 | 64 | |||
| 5 | Everton | 31 | 17 | 9 | 5 | 49 | 31 | 18 | 60 | |||
| 6 | Tottenham Hotspur | 32 | 17 | 5 | 10 | 40 | 44 | -4 | 56 | |||
| 7 | Manchester United | 32 | 16 | 6 | 10 | 52 | 38 | 14 | 54 | |||
| 8 | Southampton | 32 | 13 | 9 | 10 | 49 | 40 | 9 | 48 | |||
| 9 | Newcastle United | 32 | 14 | 4 | 14 | 38 | 47 | -9 | 46 | |||
| 10 | Stoke City | 32 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 37 | 45 | -8 | 40 | |||
| 11 | West Ham United | 31 | 9 | 7 | 15 | 34 | 41 | -7 | 34 | |||
| 12 | Aston Villa | 31 | 9 | 7 | 15 | 34 | 46 | -12 | 34 | |||
| 13 | Swansea City | 32 | 8 | 9 | 15 | 45 | 48 | -3 | 33 | |||
| 14 | Hull City | 32 | 9 | 6 | 17 | 33 | 40 | -7 | 33 | |||
| 15 | Norwich City | 32 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 26 | 51 | -25 | 32 | |||
| 16 | Crystal Palace | 31 | 9 | 4 | 18 | 20 | 39 | -19 | 31 | |||
| 17 | West Bromwich Albion | 31 | 5 | 14 | 12 | 36 | 48 | -12 | 29 | |||
| 18 | Cardiff City | 32 | 6 | 8 | 18 | 29 | 61 | -32 | 26 | |||
| 19 | Sunderland | 29 | 6 | 7 | 16 | 27 | 46 | -19 | 25 | |||
| 20 | Fulham | 32 | 7 | 3 | 22 | 31 | 73 | -42 | 24 |
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