Southampton vs Sunderland prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2024-03-08 15:00.
[p]After a blaze near their stadium caused Wednesday’s match against Preston to be postponed, Southampton will be hoping their push for an immediate return to the Premier League can catch fire again after a minor blip. The Saints have slipped eight points behind Ipswich in the race for a place in the top-two pre-round, not helped by a run of two defeats from their last three Championship outings (W1).[/p]
[p]That win did at least come in their most recent fixture, when Joe Aribo netted a last-gasp goal to secure a confidence-boosting 4-3 victory over Birmingham, so they will be champing at the bit to get back onto the pitch. Concerningly though, Russell Martin’s side have been beaten in their last two outings at St Mary’s, meaning they are at risk of losing three Championship home fixtures in a row for the first time since early 2008![/p]
[p]That might provide a chink of light for opponents Sunderland, who are in a rut of their own having lost five successive games for the first time since December 2015, when they were in the Premier League. Such miserable form means the Black Cats will need a miracle to reach the play-offs, as they now need to close a ten-point gap that has opened up between themselves and the top-six.[/p]
[p]Manager Michael Beale was relieved of his duties midway through that run, but interim boss Mike Dodds has not overseen any improvement, with his three fixtures at the helm resulting in defeats to Swansea, Norwich and Leicester. He will be desperate to finally chalk up that elusive win as the club make the long journey to the south coast to face a team who they hammered 5-0 earlier this season, their only victory in the last six H2Hs (D2, L3).[/p]
[p]Players to watch: Aribo’s goal against Birmingham means nine of his last ten strikes have served as the first or last of the game. Sunderland will be hoping midfielder Pierre Ekwah can rekindle his goalscoring form from the reverse fixture when he bagged a brace, especially as he has won each of the three matches he has netted in this season.[/p]
[p]Hot stat: Sunderland have conceded a league-low of just five goals in the final 15 minutes of Championship matches this season.[/p]