Sunderland vs Watford prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2023-10-03 18:45.
Sunderland are flying at the moment, but “greedy” manager Tony Mowbray insists there’s still more to come from his side. The Black Cats registered a fourth victory in five matches (L1) by hammering struggling Sheffield Wednesday 3-0 on Friday night, but the boss believes they still need to be more clinical, stating “I want even more goals.”
It seems a bizarre claim from Mowbray, given only one team in the Championship had netted more than Sunderland’s 18 goals at the end of match day nine. That final third form means supporters are dreaming of a return to the Premier League after a seven-year absence, but to make that dream a reality they’ll need to improve their results at the Stadium of Light, where they have suffered three of their four losses across all competitions this season (W2).
Hoping to inflict another defeat are Watford, but they have won only two of the last ten H2Hs (D5, L3), with four of those draws finishing 2-2! That’s not good news for manager Valérien Ismaël, who is under heavy pressure after back-to-back reversals against Leeds and Middlesbrough that have left his side on just nine points after nine games.
The boss insists he feels the “support” of the club’s hierarchy, while also stating he’s “frustrated” with himself at the recent form. If he wants to keep his job much longer, the Hornets surely have to end their miserable run of 14 away fixtures across all competitions without a victory though (D5, L9) – a desperate record that comes despite taking the lead in six of those games.
Players to watch: Sunderland forward Jack Clarke was the Championship’s joint-top scorer after matchday nine, with six of his seven goals coming before half-time. Hoping to out-gun him may be Watford striker Mileta Rajovic, who has won 31 of the last 38 games in which he has netted (D5, L2).
Hot stat: Only one of Watford’s three away games have seen both teams score, a league low.