Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Championship match.
Sunderland have now slipped out of the top three, a position they've held since the first round. After a series of tough challenges, it seems they finally have a somewhat easier opponent. But is that truly the case?
Sunderland
November has come and gone without a win for Sunderland. Although they lost only once in six matches, that loss may prove pivotal. They fell to Sheffield United (0:1), who had been chasing them throughout most of the first leg of the season. This defeat could have been avoided. Sunderland fought hard. First, Anthony Patterson saved a penalty in the 29th minute; then in the 40th minute, after a VAR review, the referee sent off centre-back Chris Mepham (although parity was later restored), but in the 83rd minute, they finally conceded the decisive goal. Now, Sheffield United are five points ahead.
Stoke City
Stoke City also faced one of the leaders, Burnley, in the last round. However, their 0:2 defeat at home was hardly surprising. Few teams can handle Burnley effectively. The question remains, though, how will Stoke City play away? Recently, they haven't been too bad: they secured four out of a possible six points in their last two away games. However, the opponents were not top-tier — mid-table Blackburn Rovers (2:0) and lower-tier Queens Park Rangers (1:1). They lost 0:2 to Sheffield United, a team comparable to Sunderland in quality.
Sunderland vs Stoke City Prediction
The first thing we notice is that few home teams have scored more than two goals against Stoke City. Sunderland fall into the same category. It was only Watford who managed to hit three (3:0). How many will Stoke score? Not many. Our prediction: two goals will suffice for Sunderland to secure the win.
