The Black Cats go to United with the hosts' manager under huge pressure after last week's defeat at Brentford.
The Telegraph says defeat to Sunderland could see the United board act and end Amorim's tenure less than a year into the job. Indeed, it's suggested United "must win" today for the Portuguese to be safe.
United have no European football this season and are already out of the Carabao Cup after defeat to Grimsby Town. They currently sit 14th on the Premier League table.
For his part, Amorim admits their run of poor results won't be allowed to continue without a change.
He said on Friday: "Nobody here is naive. We understand that we need results to continue the project.
"We will reach a point that is impossible for everyone because this is a very big club with a lot of sponsors, with two owners.
"So it’s hard – the balance is really hard.”