Sunderland vs Liverpool – Preview, Predictions and Best Bets

The Black Cats have just two wins in their last nine league matches. The Reds have lost two of their last three EPL fixtures.

Sunderland Form

Sunderland have had a great season and sit ninth in the table with 36 points. Their last nine league matches have only seen two wins. A fine 0-0 home draw vs Man City was followed by a 0-0 draw at Tottenham. A shock 3-0 loss followed away at Brentford. A 1-1 draw at Everton and a win on penalties followed in the FA Cup.

A 2-1 home win over Crystal Palace saw a comeback from 1-0 down. A poor 3-1 loss at West Ham saw just 0.67 xG produced. Sunderland responded strongly by beating Burnley 3-0 at home. On Saturday, they were outshot 16-5 in a 3-0 loss away to Arsenal.

Sunderland Team News

Key captain Granit Xhaka is missing for this match. Young Ivorian winger Jocelin Ta Bi is also ruled out. Bertrand Traore is back in contention to boost the attacking options.

Lutsharel Geertruida is pushing for a recall in the back three. Noah Sadiki went off with a knock at the Emirates, but he should be available to start in central midfield.

Sunderland Motivation

The Black Cats will be backed by a vocal crowd. Their motivation will be to take three points and all but seal their top-flight status.

Sunderland used high pressing and full pitch man-marking vs Arsenal. They are set to use the same approach in this match.

Liverpool Form

Liverpool have lost two of their last three league matches. They had been on a run of 13 matches without defeat in all competitions. After drawing 1-1 at home to Burnley, it made it four straight league stalemates. They won 3-0 away to Marseille in the Champions League.

A late 3-2 defeat at Bournemouth saw a 95th-minute goal conceded. A 6- thrashing of Qarabag was followed by a convincing 4-1 win over Newcastle with seven big chances created. Their last match brought a 2-1 home defeat to Man City in a game full of drama and controversy.

Liverpool Team News

Conor Bradley, Giovanni Leoni and Jeremie Frimpong are all out injured for this match. Joe Gomez could be rushed back to start at right back in this match.

Alexander Isak remains out injured up front. Dominik Szoboszlai is suspended so there is a question mark at right back.

Liverpool Motivation

Arne Slot’s side need to get back to winning ways in the league. They can’t allow the gap to the top five to get any bigger.

Liverpool could play quite conservatively. They will expect Sunderland to use an aggressive, man-marking pressing style.

Key Stats

• Sunderland are unbeaten at home in the league this season (7 wins, 5 draws)
• Sunderland have drawn 3 of their last 4 matches vs Liverpool
• Liverpool have lost just 2 of their last 17 matches
• Liverpool’s Hugo Ekitike has scored 3 goals in his last 3 matches

Verdict

A close and intriguing match awaits. Sunderland will be hard to beat, so a draw looks like excellent value. Dominik Szoboszlai’s suspension is a big blow for Liverpool.

Best Bet: Draw at 3.75

Alternate Bet: Sunderland win/draw double chance at 2.10

Goalscorer Tip: Hugo Ekitike to score anytime at 2.00