If Sunderland can beat West Bromwich Albion at home on Monday, the Black Cats will improve their playoff positioning in the Championship.
West Brom returns from the World Cup break in 21st place after winning their past three matches, while the Black Cats are in 10th.
Sunderland vs West Bromwich Albion Championship Match Preview
Since Tony Mowbray took control in the opening minutes, Sunderland’s season has been inconsistent. There has been no longer than a two-game winning or losing streak.
But the former is what we’re seeing right now, as Sunderland beat Millwall 3-0 last weekend after beating Birmingham City 2-1 before the World Cup break.
Mowbray’s team got on the board quickly after halftime thanks to a pair of goals and a late goal from Ellis Simms assured that they would equal their season-high in wins.
Sunderland has recently gone on a winning run, which has helped them pull seven points away from the bottom of the table. And now you may put all your energy into making an improbable weekend push into the top six.
Given that Sunderland has only won three of its ten home games at the Stadium of Light in 2022-23, this would be quite the accomplishment.
With Carlos Corberan’s arrival, West Brom’s fortunes seemed to turn around overnight, just as they were about to take a World Cup break.
The Baggies finished the month of November with three consecutive wins (and clean sheets) against Blackpool, Queens Park Rangers, and Stoke City.
Even while it wasn’t enough to get West Brom out of 21st place, it was a good indicator of the progress the team has achieved thus far under Corberan and suggests there’s hope for even more progress following the extended stint on the practice field.
West Brom heads to Sunderland with only 10 points from their last nine games away from The Hawthorns, although they have won twice on the road since October 15.
Sunderland vs West Bromwich Albion Championship Team News
Ross Stewart, who has been out with an injury since the end of August, is set to rejoin the Sunderland team on Monday.
But despite being the league’s leading scorer over that stretch, the Scot won’t get the nod to start against the Lions after Sunderland played so well in the second half.
Mowbray is likely to stick with the same starting lineup from their last game, with Patrick Roberts having to wait patiently on the bench owing to the strong play of Amad Diallo.
While Corberan did not identify any names, he said that a few West Brom players were questionable owing to minor injuries, casting doubt on the team’s ability to remain together.
While Daryl Dike has been sick recently, Semi Ajayi may be included in the squad after a lengthy layoff.
- Sunderland Prediction Starting Lineups: Gooch, O’Nien, Patterson, Batth, Evans, Neil, Alese, Diallo, Clarke, Simms, Pritchard.
- West Bromwich Albion Prediction Starting Lineups: Furlong, Bartley, Palmer, O’Shea, Yokuslu, Molumby, Townsend, Wallace, Phillips, Swift, Thomas-Asante.
Sunderland 2-1 West Bromwich Albion Championship Prediction
When travelling to the North East, West Brom’s confidence will be as high as it has been all season. They will be optimistic about continuing their winning run. Sunderland, though, has the edge in match sharpness, and this might be the deciding factor in a close home victory.
