Middlesbrough are aiming to maintain their recent good form and playoff push as they travel to Sunderland for in the Championship on Sunday. The Seasiders have eased past almost everyone in recent weeks and should have too much for Sunderland.
Sunderland are coming off a 3-1 home defeat to Swansea City in their previous Championship fixture. They played most of the match with 10-men with Daniel Neil getting what turned out to be a consolation midway through the second half.
The was the first defeat in six Championship matches for Sunderland, who have generally been in good form lately. Sitting just three points off the top six, Tony Mowbray’s men still have a mathematical chance of making the playoffs.
Sunderland have lost four of their last six home matches and have also kept just one clean sheet in that run.
Middlesbrough are enjoying a new lease of life and are well in the mix for a playoff finish. They are currently fourth, three points clear of Norwich City, who are just outside the top six.
The Seasiders travel to the Stadium of light off the back of four straight Championship victories. They picked up a 1-0 win over Millwall in their previous fixture with Marcus Forss’ second half effort proving to be the difference.
Things are just as smooth on the road for Middlesbrough, who have won five of their last six away matches. Michael Carrick’s men have beaten the likes of Blackburn Rovers and Norwich City in that run and won 3-1 at Birmingham City in their previous away fixture.
How the bookies view it
Middlesbrough have the edge among the bookies with a win priced at 6/4 by bet365. A victory for Sunderland is valued at 2/1 by BoyleSports while a draw is set at odds of 12/5 by bet365.
Recent head to head
Middlesbrough are unbeaten in the last seven matches against Sunderland, claiming six wins in that run. The Seasiders earned a 1-0 victory in the reverse fixture while the last meeting at the Stadium of Light ended in a 3-3 draw.
Players to watch
Ross Stewart often leads the line for Sunderland and is their top scorer this season with nine Championship goals. The striker has seven goals in his last seven matches across all competitions and is priced at 2/1 with Paddy Power.
As always Chuba Akpom will the one to watch for Middlesbrough as he looks to maintain his recent good form. The forward is the top scorer for the Seasiders with 13 Championship goals and is priced at 11/5 with bet365 to add to his tally on Sunday.
Anything else catch the eye?
Middlesbrough have been involved in some high scoring encounters lately and saw over 3.5 goals in their previous away fixture. A similar outcome is priced at 13/5 with BetVictor while over 2.5 goals is valued at evens with William Hill, who are also offering odds of 4/5 on both teams to score.
Middlesbrough have opened the scoring in four of their last five Championship matches and could be backed to grab the first goal on Sunday at 20/21 with Coral.
This England Championship match between Sunderland and Middlesbrough will be played on Jan 22, 2023 and kick off at 12:00. 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.
