Sunderland host Millwall in a rescheduled Championship fixture on Saturday with both teams looking to spark up a consistent run of results. Both sides have been equally erratic lately and given their shaky backlines, should produce goals here.
Sunderland claimed a 2-1 victory Birmingham City in their previous Championship fixture before the World Cup break. They raced to a two-goal lead through Ellis Sims and Amad Diallo before the Blues pulled one back midway through the second half.
The Black Cats have battled inconsistency this season and have only claimed three wins from their last 10 Championship matches. They are currently 15th on the table, just four points above the relegation zone and will be keen to continue to keep their head above water.
One of the problems for Sunderland this season is an inability to maintain their discipline at the back. Tony Mowbray’s men head into Saturday’s clash with just one clean sheet in their last eight Championship matches.
Millwall are further up the table than Sunderland and are among a cluster of teams vying for a playoff spot. They are currently sixth on the table, level on 31 points with ninth place Preston North End and could easily drop out of playoff contention.
Like Sunderland, Millwall have also been slightly erratic lately and only just ended a run of three matches without a win by claiming a 4-2 victory at Preston North End in their previous fixture. Zian Flemming netted a hat-trick while Charlie Cresswell was also on target.
Another Similarity between Millwall and Sunderland is their inability to keep things tight defensively as evidenced by the win at Preston. Gary Rowett’s men have kept just one clean sheet on their travels in the Championship this season.
How the bookies view it
Sunderland have the edge among the bookies with a home win priced at 8/5 by Betfred. A victory for Millwall is valued at 15/8 by Paddy Power while betbet365 is offering odds of 9/4 for a draw.
Head to head
Millwall have a 5-4 edge with three draws from 12 previous matches with Sunderland. Both teams last met during the 2017-18 Championship season, playing out draws in both meetings with the clash at the Stadium of Light ending 2-2.
Players to watch
Sunderland have a major injury boost with top scorer Ross Stewart set to return to the team. The striker scored five goals in seven matches before suffering a thigh injury back in August and could be tipped to score on Saturday at 39/20 with Unibet.
Flemming is the leading scorer for Millwall this season with eight Championship goals so far. The Dutch forward netted a hat-trick in his last appearance and is priced at 10/3 by bet365 to get on the score sheet in Saturday.
Anything else catch the eye?
Neither team has been convincing at the back lately and Saturday’s clash could be set to produce goals. Over 3.5 goals is priced at 16/5 by Unibet while over 2.5 goals could also be considered at 6/5 by bet365.
There were second half goals for both teams in Sunderland’s previous Championship fixture and a repeat can be considered at 11/4 with bet365.
This England Championship match between Sunderland and Millwall will be played on Dec 3, 2022 and kick off at 12:30. Check below for our tipsters best Sunderland vs Millwall prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.