Sunderland host Hull City in a Friday night Championship fixture with both teams looking to snap out of a recent rough patch. The Black Cats remain solid at home and should have the upper hand over Hull, who look out of sorts, especially on their travels.
Sunderland suffered a 2-1 defeat at Ipswich Town in their previous Championship fixture. They took an early lead through Jack Clarke but were pegged back by the hosts before conceding the winner midway through the second half.
That was the second straight defeat for Sunderland, who were also beaten 3-0 at home by Premier League side Newcastle United in the FA Cup third round. Michael Beale’s men are just outside the playoff places, level on 40 points with sixth placed Coventry City.
In the midst of that rough patch, Sunderland’s home form has remained steady as they have won five of their last seven matches at the Stadium of Light. They have beaten a few teams above them in that run, including a 2-1 victory over West Brom and a 1-0 win over Leeds United.
Hull City travel to the Stadium of Light off the back of a 2-1 defeat to Birmingham City in an FA Cup third round replay. They went into the break in front thanks to Jason Lokilo’s early effort but suffered a second half capitulation.
The result means Hull City have now picked up just one win in their last seven matches across all competitions. They have suffered five defeats in that run and were beaten 2-1 by Norwich City in their previous Championship fixture.
Things are much worse for Hull City on their travels having lost four of their last five away matches across all competitions. Defending has been the major problem for Liam Rosenior’s men, who have thrown away the lead a few times in that run.
How the bookies view it
The bookies have installed Sunderland as overwhelming favourites with a home win priced at 19/20 with Betfred. An unlikely victory for Hull City is valued at 3/1 by bet365 while a draw is set at odds of 13/5 by BetVictor.
Head to head
Sunderland have an 11-6 advantage with six draws from 22 previous matches against Hull City. The Black Cats picked up a 1-0 victory in the reverse fixture back in December, although the last meeting at the Stadium of Light ended in a 4-4 draw.
Players to watch
Jack Clarke was on target at Ipswich Town last time out for his 13th goal of the season and could be the one to watch for Sunderland. The forward also scored the only goal in the reverse fixture and is priced at 2/1 by bet365 to get on the score sheet once again.
Aaron Connolly remains the leading scorer for Hull City with eight Championship goals and could be worth keeping an eye on. The forward is priced at 3/1 by Paddy Power to find the net on Friday.
Anything else catch the eye?
The last meeting at the Stadium of Light produced an eight goal thriller and another high-scoring encounter could be on the cards. Both teams could be backed to score at 8/13 with Coral, over 2.5 goals is priced at 4/5 with bet365 while over 3.5 goals is valued at 2/1 with Paddy Power.
With Sunderland expected to have the upper hand on Friday, they could be backed to score in both halves at 9/5 with Unibet.
This England Championship match between Sunderland and Hull City will be played on Jan 19, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Sunderland vs Hull City prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
