Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Championship match.
In their last encounter on 1 April, Blackburn Rovers thrashed Sunderland (5:1) away. Since then, both teams have evolved, but neither has become invincible. Nevertheless, Sunderland's squad is valued at twice the worth of Blackburn Rovers'.
Blackburn Rovers
After six consecutive victories, Blackburn Rovers suffered a defeat (0:1). They were close to extending their unbeaten streak but conceded a header in the 96th minute of an away game against Millwall. This scoreline is quite typical for the Londoners and, to some extent, for Blackburn. In their winning streak, they used this scoreline in four of the six matches.
Sunderland
Sunderland, having dropped from the top to fourth place, continue to maintain this position. Blackburn Rovers are right behind them, three points adrift, factoring in a game in hand. It was a series of five consecutive draws that cost them the lead. Recently, Sunderland have claimed 10 points out of a possible 12. Looking at a longer span, in their last 13 matches, eight have seen a total under 2.5. Sheffield United almost never conceded, and they didn’t against Sunderland either—resulting in a 1:0 win. The same happened with West Bromwich Albion, who were known for low scores—ending 0:0. Blackburn fit into this category as well.
Blackburn Rovers vs Sunderland Prediction
The recent high-scoring results for Sunderland are somewhat of an anomaly, like the one against Swansea City, who previously played predominantly low-scoring games. Blackburn Rovers will be at home, so they’ll dictate the pace of the match. A classic 1:0 victory would suit them and a low-scoring match is expected.
