Sunderland's perfect start to the EFL Championship season came grinding to a halt last weekend but they have the chance to get back on track straight away in a crunch North East derby with Middlesbrough.
The Betting Desk thought Sunderland would rack up another three points at Plymouth last weekend but they slumped to a surprise 3-2 loss as Wayne Rooney's Pilgrims upset the odds.
That saw Regis Le Bris' men surrender top spot to West Brom but they are just one point behind the Baggies and it has still been a superb start under their new French boss.
This clash with Middlesbrough is a major test of mettle, though, as Michael Carrick's men have lost just once so far in the league – a 1-0 defeat at Derby in a game they dominated.
Boro have eight points after five games and look in decent shape for a play-off push at least, with Carrick's men just missing out last term as they finished in eighth place.
How the bookies view it: Black Cats to bare their claws
With Sunderland having home advantage and starting the season well, Betano make them slight favourites at 7/5. Middlesbrough's price is 17/10 and the draw pays 23/10.
Recent head to head: Boro have the bragging rights
This fixture has been dominated by Middlesbrough in recent years as they've won seven of the last 10 meetings. Sunderland have won just once during that run and they were spanked 4-0 at home by Carrick's side last term, although all four goals came after they went down to 10 men.
Players to watch: Mundle of joy
Youngster Romaine Mundle heads into the derby in fine form after netting in his last three games for Sunderland. The 21-year-old is 18/5 for anytime scorer at Betano and that looks a bit overpriced.
Tommy Conway looks like a shrewd signing for Middlesbrough and has netted twice since his switch from Bristol City. The Scotland international is 19/10 for anytime scorer here.
Probable line-ups
Jenson Seelt is a doubt for Sunderland while Aji Alese remains out with an ankle injury. Johnny Howson and Marcus Forss are doubtful for Middlesbrough while Tommy Smith and Alex Bangura will miss out again.
Sunderland: Patterson, Cirkin, Ballard, O'Nien, Hume, Neil, Bellingham, Browne, Roberts, Mayenda, Mundle.
Middlesbrough: Dieng, Clarke, Ayling, Edmundson, Borges, Barlaser, Hackney, Jones, Azaz, Conway, Latte Lath.
Anything else catch the eye?
Derbies can often be a disappointment but with so much attacking talent on display, this should be an entertaining game. BTTS is just 4/6 at Betano but if you add over 2.5 goals it boosts the odds to 11/10 at Bet365.
We've seen 12 corners on each of Middlesbrough's last two visits to the Stadium of Light so over 10.5 flag kicks looks decent value at evens with Bet365 here.
The card markets are always worth a look when two local rivals do battle and there's some good prices on players going in the book. Middlesbrough defender Luke Ayling is a tempting 7/4 at Bet365 to pick up a card and Sunderland's tough-tackling Luke O'Nien is 12/5 in the same market.
This England Championship match between Sunderland and Middlesbrough will be played on Sep 21, 2024 and kick off at 12:30. Check below for our tipsters best Sunderland vs Middlesbrough prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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