Sunderland vs Plymouth prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2024-02-09 15:00.
Although manager Michael Beale may not think so, Sunderland were fortunate to rescue a point late on at Middlesbrough last weekend (D 1-1), with a goalkeeping error ensuring they didn’t travel home empty-handed. Although the draw spared their blushes, they still lost further ground in the Championship play-off race and now begin this round of games outside the top six having played a game more than some around them.
We’re unlikely to see a draw at the Stadium of Light this weekend, with Sunderland now the only Championship team yet to see a home league game end all square this season (W9, L6). That statistic is the polar opposite to last season, when no team in the second tier drew more home games in the Championship than them (W8, D9, L7)!
Perhaps fortunately for the Black Cats, Saturday’s opponents Plymouth must make the longest trip in the Championship (790 miles round) on the back of a 4-1 midweek FA Cup replay defeat to Leeds which went into extra time. They ought not to be too despondent though, as that was just the second game Argyle have lost in all competitions across their last 12 outings (W4, D6).
Barring a catastrophic collapse, Ian Foster’s side look destined for a mid-table finish in their first season back in the Championship following promotion, but if they do have their sights set on a play-off push, it’ll have to start sooner rather than later. A win in the North East would be just the tonic to begin one, but Argyle have lost 11 of their 15 league games away against Sunderland to date (W3, D1), so closing that nine-point gap to sixth this weekend seems a long shot.
Key battle: Ahead of this round, only three players in the Championship have picked up more bookings than Sunderland’s Dan Ballard (nine), with six of his cautions to date coming in the second half. He’ll be up against Plymouth striker Morgan Whittaker, who has eight goals in his last eight league appearances, four of which came inside the opening 30 minutes.
Hot stat: Plymouth have won their last two league games but haven’t won three on the spin in the Championship since September 2008!