Sunderland V Liverpool

 

Sunderland V Liverpool

Date & Kick-Off: Sunday, 20th March – 13:30 (GMT)
Venue: Stadium of Light
TV Coverage: Sky Sports HD1

How could anyone possibly forget the last time these two teams met in the Premier League? Sunderland were 1-0 winners and didn’t just have the prolific Darren Bent, who has since moved to pastures new with Aston Villa, to thank but also a Liverpool beach ball for handing the Wearsiders only their second ever Premier League victory over the Reds.

Previously, before a beach ball came to their rescue, Sunderland had gone six games without a win over Liverpool, all six were in fact defeats0. So the win was much-needed, while it may have also had a catalystic affect as earlier in the season they drew 2-2 at Anfield in a match they probably ought to have won.

Separated by just four points in the table, securing Europa League football (top-five finish) remains the target for both clubs. Sunderland have shot themselves in the foot to be honest, as they were well ahead of the Reds at Christmas but now trail Kenny Dalglish’s side after a drastic sequence of results which has seen the Black Cats go their last five league games without a win – four were defeats – whereas Liverpool have only lost one of their previous eight in the league, six of those were momentum-building wins.

On the topic of momentum, Liverpool’s was blown to pieces during the week as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Portuguese side Braga at Anfield on Thursday as Kenny Dalglish’s men were agonishingly eliminated from the Europa League 1-0 on aggregate, leaving supporters with that sick feeling of knowing a fifth season in a row will pass them by without a single piece of silverware entering their trophy cabinet.

Can Sunderland take full advantage of the Reds’ recent misfortune in Europe or will Liverpool respond in the best possible manner by dispatching of Steve Bruce’s out of sorts side at a venue where they’ve won on six of their nine Premiership visits?

Sunderland

Steve Bruce will have been thankful that his team were handed a two-week break from league commitments as Sunderland were in need of a break following a retchid spell of results. The frustration being that should they ground out a potentially season-turning result at the weekend at home to Liverpool, whom they beat 1-0 during the previous term, they would be stopped right in their tracks as another two-week break from domestic affairs looms large.

International will take centre stage over the forthcoming fortnight and although Sunderland will be stopped in their tracks should they add to Liverpool’s woes with a winning performance on Sunday, it would nevertheless be the perfect way to head into another lengthy time-out. It would also end a dismal run of five league games without a win, the Black Cats closing in on two whole months without winning a game of football. Heck, they may have even forget how to win.

In two of the previous three encounters with Liverpool, Sunderland have caused problems from an offensive point of view. They won last season’s corresponding fixture 1-0 while they earned a thoroughly deserved 2-2 draw at Anfield back in September, two results which ought to stand them in good stead. However, on both occasions they had the lethal striking services of Darren Bent, who was their top scorer last season and was again leading the charts this season, and with Sunderland drawing a blank in their last two league fixtures, it remains to be seen whether they can cause the same problems without a player who clearly has the better of a Liverpool back-line.

To be fair, Sunderland’s recent failure to find the back of the net has derived from two away encounters with two tricky opponents. Steve Bruce’s men are a different kettle of fish at home, when inside what should be a capacity Stadium of Light for Sunday’s live encounter on Sky Sports 1 and HD1. Saying that, they have recently suffered back-to-back defeats on Wearside, shipping six goals in the process as they went down first to Chelsea (2-4) before later to Tottenham (1-2). So worrying times at the minute for the Black Cats as another promising season threatens to petter out.

 

Liverpool

Barely days after they were dumped out of the UEFA Europa League with a whimper, Liverpool are back in action aiming to qualify for the exact same competition they really couldn’t care less about. So who order the dish of irony?

While the players clearly didn’t enjoy what Europe’s second tier competition had to offer as much as Kenny Dalglish, the Liverpool manager has nonetheless laid down the gauntlet for his team: to qualify for next season’s edition of the Europa League. I’m sure supporters will be chuffed to bits with that; yet more needless matches with average European outfits in far-out destinations.

In fairness, I understand fully where Dalglish is coming. Liverpool and Europe are synonymous, so spending the next term without any European commitments would seem a catastrophe. It won’t though, it would probably be a blessing in disguise as it would mean more time spent focusing on the league, which is exactly where they have fared miserably this season.

At current, the Reds are sat in sixth-place, a disconcerting nine-points adrift of fourth-placed Chelsea and an alarming 18 off leaders and arch rivals Man Utd. Perhaps now that there are no distractions we will begin to see some consistency, and by that I mean Liverpool winning matches away from home and not just at Anfield. Only three teams – Bolton, Chelsea and Wolves – have succumbed to defeat at home to Liverpool this season, the Merseyside-outfit posting a nasty-looking away record: W3 D2 L9.

In a bold attempt to put a positive spin on things, and to try and cover up their feeble display in midweek as they failed to score even one goal against a side Arsenal put five past during a Champions League game at the Emirates earlier in the season, Liverpool have been enjoying an upturn in league form, winning six and losing just one of their last eight, while they were impressive 3-1 winners at home to Manchester United last time out.

A repeat performance to the one which saw them dismantle United would make Dalglish’s men mighty difficult to beat, especially if Luis Suarez is on-song like he was a fortnight ago. The Uruguayuan will also be fresher than most as he was ineligible to face Braga during the week, so that’s a bonus, although Steven Gerrard will once again sit this one out as he continues his recovery from a persistent groin problem. Considering Liverpool were deprived of any creative spark of forward thrust in midweek, the captain’s absence could be pivotal.

 

Match Prediction: Draw – 3.30 SkyBet

Sunderland manager Steve Bruce is hopeful of having combative midfielder Lee Cattermole fit for Sunday; Craig Gordon and Nedum Onouha should also recover in time.

Liverpool, meanwhile, will have to do without their talisman as Steven Gerrard continues his recovery from a groin injury. Fabio Aurelio, Martin Kelly and Jonjo Shelvey are all long-term absentees, although Kenny Dalglish could welcome back Daniel Agger from injury while Luis Suarez will spearhead the attack aiming to score his first goal for the club (his one against Stoke City is likely to be chalked off by the dubious goals panel).

In general, Liverpool have a fantastic record when it comes to playing Sunderland in the Premier League, having won six and lost only won of their nine matches at the Stadium of Light. Away from home, though, the Reds have been woeful to say the least, an enigma in many ways considering they beat Chelsea 1-0 at Stamford Bridge but lost handsomely to West Ham at Upton Park last month. On their day, with everyone fit and when their key players are in peak physical shape and in tip-top form, they are a handful, make no mistake about, but they often require an awful lot to fall their way and are far too unreliable to be sticking hard-earned money on, especially after Thursday’s disappointment, and so narrow preference would be for the draw.

Value Bet: 0-0 Draw (Correct Score) – 9.00 Totesport

Sunderland lack the same threat which Darren Bent gave them despite club-record signing Asamoah Gyan starting up front, while Liverpool will be both exhausted and deflated following Thursday’s exertions. This may not be a rip-roaring contest, as this fixture rarely is, although there has never been a 0-0 draw between the two on Wearside. I’m willing to stick a few shillings on that no longer being the case come tea-time Sunday.

Match Odds:

Sunderland – 2.75 VictorChandler
Draw – 3.30 SkyBet
Liverpool – 2.80 BetFred

More information:
Betting tips

 

 

 

Kick-off: Saturday 17^th October – 15:00 GMT

Venue: The Stadium of Light

 

 

 

Sunderland

 

League Position: 8th

Recent Form: LWLWD

  

The International break came at a disastrous time for Steve Bruce and Sunderland as the club looked to be building up momentum after a stunning result away at Old Trafford, the home of Manchester United. Sunderland were incredible against the ‘Red Devils’ and they nearly got their just rewards before a late Anton Ferdinand own goal tore apart Sunderland hearts. Still, there were half-a-dozen positives to take from that game, none more so then their attacking prowess that day which seen them terrorise a usually reliable United defence and score twice past a nervous Ben Foster. Sunderland pushed United all the way and they would have been fully deserving of the three points had they have held on until the bitter end.

  

The break could be seen as a double edged sword in all honesty, with the Sunderland camp now given time to digest a bitter draw with Man Utd. To say it was bitter is a testament to Sunderland’s performance that day but words really can’t describe how outstanding they were. However, that fine team display will count for nothing if they don’t replicate it in their forthcoming fixtures, starting with another tough clash with Liverpool.

  

The ‘Black Cats’ have never welcomed Liverpool with open arms, especially as the ‘Reds’ have won on their previous three visits to The Stadium of Light. However, several big players have come in since and Sunderland look a totally different proposition from the side that lost 1-0 to Liverpool last season. Darren Bent & Kenwyn Jones are playing with an attacking swagger, Lee Cattermole has reinforced what was a weak midfield, while the defence is finally showing a bit of defensive commitment, sticking men behind the ball and they aren’t scared to get a block in when needed.

  

A small downer for Steve Bruce is the fact that Kenwyn Jones has had to endure a length flight back to England from Trinidad, which could leave him slightly jet-lagged and out-of-sorts with the surroundings. Darren Bent will still remain a handful but if Steve Bruce does have to leave Jones out then you can’t help but think that Sunderland might not have enough fire-power going forward to trouble Liverpool.

 

 

 

Liverpool

 

League Position: 6th

Recent Form: WWWWL

  

Rafael Benitez has never been too fond of letting his players go for International duty as he always seems to end up with a half-beaten squad. Well, this week has been no different as both Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres, two of Liverpool’s more influential players, have both returned to Melwood with knocks. Neither participated in midweek for their countries, with Gerrard returning particularly early, but the fact remains that Benitez might have to field a team consisting off players with niggles and low fitness levels. That’s never a good formula, especially in away encounters.

  

A defeat to a fellow rival is never easy to digest but the irony is that the International break came at the perfect time for Mr. Benitez, with the players allowed time to drown their Chelsea sorrows and recover, mentally, in time for their next big league clash.

  

Liverpool were well below par away at Chelsea, deservingly losing 2-0, with our biggest disappointment with the Liverpool performance being their lacklustre efforts in the final third, when they actually got their. They played so negatively it was unreal. It was like they knew the draw would be an acceptable result and they set up camp in a bid to achieve it, a recipe for disaster it turned out to be. I can’t remember the ‘Reds’ carving out a decent goalscoring opportunity in that game but they have should have more room for manoeuvre away at Sunderland, a team who has had a tendency to attack this season, leaving plenty of gaps at the back for Torres to exploit, barring he’s fit enough for the trip.

 

It’s now three defeats in eight for Liverpool this season, two of which have come on the road, with London posing somewhat of a voodoo for Liverpool this term with defeats at Tottenham and Chelsea. It’s imperative that Liverpool put their recent woes behind them and concentrate on getting back to winning ways, sooner rather than later. A trip to Sunderland isn’t the best but it’s one they simply have to take. Liverpool have conceded more goals then they’ve scored on the road, 7 for and 8 against, something Steve Bruce will take heart from.

 

 

 

Head-to-Head:

 

Sunderland W: 1 Liverpool W: 8 Draws: 1

 

Liverpool have completely dominated the recent meetings between the two sides, winning eight of the previous ten encounters. In recent meetings at The Stadium of Light, Liverpool have prospered, winning the previous three meetings on Tyneside, the latest coming in the form of a narrow 1-0 victory for the reds via a late Fernando Torres strike. You have to stretch back to the 2002/2003 season for Sunderland’s last victory over Liverpool, that being a 2-1 victory.

 

 

Over 2.5 Goals: 2 Under 2.5 Goals: 8

 

This has been a very tight affair in recent meetings, especially at The Stadium of Light. The last three encounters on Black Cat soil has resulted in low scoring affairs, with just one of the last six encounters between the two on Tyneside ending with three or more goals.

 

 

Key Player:- Fernando Torres

 

The Spanish sensation scored in the previous meeting at The Stadium of Light in a narrow 1-0 victory for Liverpool. However, he picked up a knock while playing for Spain in midweek and they will be doubts over his fitness ahead of this trip to Tyneside. However, a fit Torres is terrible news for Sunderland fans, with the Spaniard already taking his tally to 8 for the season, currently the Premiership highest goalscorer. He failed to score away at Chelsea more recently so he’ll be extra motivated and even hungrier to add to his tally away at Sunderland.

 

 

Match Verdict: Liverpool to WIN – 10/11 Bet365

 

Sunderland’s heroics away at Old Trafford a fortnight ago will have left some punters drooling and possibly itching to have a punt on them in their very next outing. However, their next opponent just happens to be a Liverpool side who have beaten Sunderland in their previous three visits to The Stadium of Light. There has been new arrivals of the summer that have vastly improved the Sunderland side but Liverpool should still bypass a tough looking ‘Black Cats’ side.

 

 

 

Match Verdict:

 

 

Sunderland – 15/4 PaddyPower

 

Liverpool – 10/11 Bet365

 

Draw -5/2 SkyBet

 

 

 

SoccerBetting Value Tip: Liverpool to score 2+ goals – 5/6 SkyBet