Zenden aims to spoil old friend's title party with win on Wearside

Bolo Zenden is planning to ruin old friend Edwin van der Sar's day when he heads for Sunderland on Sunday with the Premier League title in his sights.

Van der Sar and his Manchester United team-mates will arrive at the Stadium of Light hoping Chelsea have not won at Liverpool earlier in the day and established a four-point lead at the top of the table.

Whatever has happened at Anfield, United will be desperate to become only the third travelling side to win in the league on Wearside this season – Chelsea themselves and Aston Villa are the only teams to have done so to date – to ensure the fight for the big prize goes all the way to the final kick of the campaign.

Dutch international Zenden will hope to play some part with Sunderland determined to claim a top-10 finish, and the fact that it will be his compatriot standing in his way will make little difference to him.

He said: "It will be good to see each other again. He is unbelievable. Him signing for another year at United and still playing at the top level is fantastic. I am really pleased for him and wish him all the best – but we will be doing our best to get a result. Mathematically, it is still possible to finish higher up the table, so we have plenty to play for."

Sunderland have bounced back from their mid-season slump to put together a much-improved run of results, and are promising United a tough test.

The Black Cats came within seconds of a famous victory at Old Trafford in October, when only Anton Ferdinand's late own goal denied them. Zenden said: "The whole squad is looking forward to the game. We want to get something good out of the match and finish in the top half of the table."