Sunderland vs West Brom prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2022-12-11 20:00.
A comprehensive 3-0 win over Millwall was the perfect way for Sunderland to return to Championship action, with three points marking their third victory across their last four league games (W3, L1). That win moved the Black Cats to within touching distance of the play-off spots ahead of the weekend and left boss Tony Mowbray jubilant in the build up to this game, as he took the opportunity to strangely proclaim “I love Revels” in his jovial midweek press conference!
Attention swiftly switches away from chocolate treats and back to football, as Sunderland’s unlikely pursuit of a Premier League return after over five years of exile continues with the visit of West Bromwich Albion, a side that Mowbray-managed teams have defeated only once (D2, L3). Perhaps even more damningly, Sunderland have failed to win 14 of the last 15 H2H encounters, though this is the first meeting between the clubs since Sunderland’s fateful 2016/17 top-flight relegation season.
The World Cup break arguably came at the wrong time for West Brom as they were just beginning to build a head of steam with a three-game winning run under new manager Carlos Corberán. The break has at least given the Spanish coach a month to work on the training ground and properly assess his squad, with the aim now to take the Baggies from relegation strugglers to play-off contenders.
The improvement under Corberán cannot be understated, as despite managing only 20% of their league games this season, he accounts for 60% of their wins (W3, L1), all of which came without reply. A 1-0 win at QPR was a good start in his first away game, but fixing some woeful away league form (W2, D4, L3) will be crucial to an unlikely charge for promotion. It won’t be easy to start a travelling resurgence here though, as a return of just one goal away to Sunderland in over ten years provides cause for concern.
Players to watch: Sunderland’s in-demand striker Ross Stewart is set to return from a long-term thigh injury. Still Sunderland’s joint-top scorer this season, Stewart had scored five goals – including three match openers – across the opening seven rounds before his absence. Trying to match him will be Matt Phillips, who is the only West Brom player to assist a goal at the Stadium of Light since November 2012!
Hot stat: Sunderland have failed to win 22 of their last 25 league games played on a Monday (D10, L12).