Lorik Cana warns Man Utd to beware of Sunderland

Apr 29 2010 by Mark Douglas, The Journal

LORIK Cana has warned title-chasing Manchester United to prepare for war this weekend as his Sunderland side look to cling on to their impressive record against the Premier League’s top-four contenders.

The Black Cats have sent Arsenal, Liverpool and Spurs packing from the Stadium of Light with no points this season and were seconds away from repeating the feat against moneybags Manchester City in March.

Only Chelsea and Aston Villa have managed to overcome them on their own patch this campaign, and skipper Cana says that they will be jealously guarding their unbeaten home run when the reigning champions roll into town on Sunday.

That spells serious peril for United, who travel to the North East in need of a win to keep their title aspirations on track.

Many have pinpointed Chelsea’s trip to Liverpool as the game that could control the destination of the Premier League title – but Cana says such talk is disrespectful.

He argues that Sunderland provide an equally stern test at the Stadium of Light.

“Manchester United are one of the best teams in the country – maybe the world – so it is not going to be easy for us against

them,” Cana said. “But our run at home is a fantastic one and I see no reason why we cannot have a big say in who wins the title this weekend.

“We have only lost two games at home all season. One of those was against Chelsea, who can beat anyone on their day, and the other was against Aston Villa, who also won at Old Trafford.

“Our home record is one of the best in the league. We have won something like 34 points at home, so I don't think anyone should be under-estimating what we are capable of. We are a really, really tough team to beat at home.

“If Manchester United want to win the league, they are going to have to come and beat us at the Stadium of Light. Of course, they have the players and team to do that – that's completely normal for a team at the top of the league – but I can promise you it will not be easy.