Sunderland host Birmingham City in a Championship fixture on Saturday with both teams looking to snap out of poor runs. The Black Cats have fared a bit better and should have the upper hand over Birmingham, who have been woeful on their recent travels.
Sunderland are coming off a 0-0 draw at Swansea City in their previous Championship fixture. They played against 10 men for much of the encounter but failed to capitalise despite dominating the possession and creating several goalscoring opportunities.
That result means Sunderland have now picked up just one win from their last five matches as they appear to be on a downward spiral in recent weeks. Tony Mowbray’s men have been slowly sliding down the table, although they remain just two points off the playoff places.
A bit of positive for Sunderland is that things have been slightly better at the Stadium of Light in recent weeks. They have picked up four wins from their last six matches and earned a 3-1 victory over Norwich City in their previous fixture in front of their fans.
Wayne Rooney is still seeking his first win as manager of Birmingham City as their campaign continues to unravel. They have suffered three defeats and played out one draw in their last four matches and have now dropped to 15th on the standings.
The draw came last time out as they were held 2-2 by Ipswich Town in their previous Championship fixture. They will be disappointed not to have held on for the win after racing to a two goal lead through Jay Stansfield and a Cameron Burgess own-goal.
While that result showed signs of life for Birmingham City, one area that needs some serious improvement is their recent record on their travels. They have lost their last five away matches and were beaten 3-1 by Southampton in their previous Championship fixture on the road.
How the bookies view it
Sunderland have the upper hand among the bookies with a home win priced at 3/4 by Coral. An unlikely victory for Birmingham City is valued at 4/1 by Paddy Power while Unibet is offering odds of 14/5 for a draw.
Head to head
Sunderland have a 47-31 advantage with 18 draws from 96 previous matches against Birmingham City. The Black Cats did the double over Birmingham last season, claiming 2-1 victories across both fixtures.
Players to watch
As always Jack Clarke will be the one to watch for Sunderland as he looks to add to his nine Championship goals this season. The Young forward was on target in the previous fixture at the Stadium of Light and is priced at 2/1 with bet365.
Jay Stansfield has been the shining light for Birmingham City in the middle of a difficult campaign and could be worth keeping an eye on. The striker has found the net in the last two matches and is priced at 4/1 by bet365 to maintain his scoring run.
Anything else catch the eye?
Sunderland saw over 3.5 goals in their previous home fixture and a repeat is priced at 9/4 with Unibet. The last two meetings between both teams have produced over 2.5 goals, which is priced at 4/5 by Betfred while bet365 is also offering odds of 4/5 on both teams to score.
The Black Cats scored in both halves in the last two meetings with Birmingham City and could be set for a similar pattern at 17/10 with BoyleSports.
This England Championship match between Sunderland and Birmingham City will be played on Nov 11, 2023 and kick off at 12:30. Check below for our tipsters best Sunderland vs Birmingham City prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
