One of the fixtures in the third round of the Championship will take place on Friday evening at the Stadium of Light, where Sunderland will take on Leeds United. Here’s a match preview and prediction from the Sportsmacro expert team.
Sunderland
Last season, Sunderland aimed for a playoff spot to the Premier League, but a string of injuries in the second half derailed their hopes, keeping the “Black Cats” out of the top six. This season, however, Sunderland has made an impressive start and currently sits at the top of the table after eight rounds.
In those eight matches, they have lost just twice and achieved six victories. They lead their closest rival, Burnley, by one point. In their most recent match, Sunderland hosted Derby County and secured a 2-0 victory, marking their third win in the last five rounds.
Leeds United
Leeds spent much of last season vying for an automatic promotion spot, ultimately finishing third after suffering three defeats in the final stretch. They managed to defeat Norwich in the playoffs but fell to Southampton in the final. This season, Leeds has had a somewhat inconsistent start, currently sitting in fifth place.
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In their latest match, Leeds played away against Norwich and ended in a 1-1 draw. Prior to that, they achieved away victories against Cardiff (2-0) and a home win against Coventry City (3-0). So far, Leeds has lost just one of their eight matches and is trailing the top of the table by three points.
Key Facts about the match
- The “Under 2.5 goals” bet has paid off in six of the last matches between these two teams.
- Only one of the last seven encounters seeing both teams score.
- Conversely, the “Over 2.5 goals” bet has been successful in three of Sunderland’s last five games.
Probable Lineups
- Sunderland: Patterson, Cirkin, O’Nien, Mepham, Hume, Bellingham, Neil, Rigg, Mandl, Isidor, Roberts.
- Leeds United: Meslier, Bogle, Rodon, Struijk, Firpo, Tanaka, Grujew, Gnonto, Aaronson, Ramazani, Joseph.
Head-to-Head (H2H)
Last season, Sunderland secured a 1-0 victory at home, while their away match against Leeds ended in a 0-0 draw. Overall, Sunderland has won four of the last seven encounters, with just one loss to Leeds during that stretch.
Sunderland vs Leeds United Prediction
Bookmakers give Leeds a slight edge, with win odds around 2.31. For this match, we recommend placing a bet on “Under 2.5 goals,” which is currently priced at 1.85.
