Leeds United are looking to maintain their place among the frontrunners as they travel to Sunderland for a midweek Championship fixture. The Black Cats have looked sharp lately, particularly at home but Leeds are playing a notch higher at the moment and should have the upper hand on Tuesday.
Sunderland picked up a 2-1 victory over West Brom in their previous Championship fixture. Following a scoreless first half, they raced to a two goal lead through Daniel Ballard and Daniel Neil and were able to hold on despite the Baggies pulling one back late on.
That was a vital win for Sunderland as it ended a run of two defeats and a draw in their previous three matches. The result also kept Mike Dodds’ men in the final playoff spot, although they are tied with two other teams on 30 points.
Sunderland will be hoping for some solid home support on Tuesday, although their recent form at the Stadium of Light has been slightly erratic. They have picked up four wins and suffered three defeats in their last seven home matches, while keeping just a single clean sheet in that run.
Leeds United appear to have hit a different level in recent weeks and have suffered just one defeat in their last 11 matches across all competitions. They have picked up nine wins in that run and are just seven points off the automatic promotion places.
Daniel Farke’s men travel to the Stadium of Light off the back of a 2-0 victory at Blackburn Rovers in their previous Championship fixture. Goals in each half from Daniel James and Crysencio Sunmerville were enough to earn them all three points.
That result extends a solid away record for Leeds United, who are unbeaten in four of their last five matches. They have claimed three wins in that run, including a 1-0 victory over Championship leaders Leicester City at the King Power Stadium.
How the bookies view it
Leeds United have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 21/20 by Unibet to claim the win on Tuesday. Sunderland are considered outsiders with a home win priced at 5/2 by bet365 while a draw is set at odds of 13/5 by Paddy Power.
Head to head
Leeds United have a 31-25 advantage with 13 draws from 69 previous matches against Sunderland. The last meeting between both teams was a Championship fixture back in 2018 which ended in a 1-1 draw.
Players to watch
Jack Clarke has looked slightly off colour in recent weeks but remains the leading scorer for Sunderland with 10 goals. The forward will be keen to rediscover his scoring touch and is priced at 11/4 by bet365 to find the net on Tuesday.
Joel Piroe is the leading scorer for Leeds United this season with eight Championship goals and is priced at 9/5 with Paddy Power to find the net on Tuesday. Daniel James has also been on target in the last three matches and could be worth keeping an eye on at 3/1 with bet365.
Anything else catch the eye?
Sunderland have seen over 3.5 goals in three of their last five home matches and a repeat could be considered at 7/4 by bet365. All the goals in the Black Cats’ previous fixture came after the break and the second half could be tipped as the highest scoring half on Tuesday at 11/10 with Paddy Power.
There were second half goals for both teams in Sunderland’s previous fixture and Tuesday’s clash could be time to follow a similar pattern at 7/4 with William Hill.
This England Championship match between Sunderland and Leeds United will be played on Dec 12, 2023 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Sunderland vs Leeds United prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
