Saturday 30th April 2016 Kickoff 1500hrs
Stoke City v Sunderland
Football – Premier League – England
Just as it is for Norwich City and their North-East rivals Newcastle, this weekend could be pivotal in the race to stay in the Premier League for Sunderland. A visit to the Britannia Stadium is traditionally one of the harder games that teams can face, but Stoke’s form of late is that of a team who appear to have little motivation or desire at this late stage of the season. Sunderland boss Sam Allardyce will be hoping that their recent woes continue for one more game at least.
It’s coming to the end of Mark Hughes’ third season in charge of Stoke and it will be interesting to see how he assesses his own performance this term. Having finished ninth in the past two seasons, it was realistic to expect some improvement on those positions, especially considering the signings – and the cost of those signings – in both the summer and winter transfer windows. Xherdan Shaqiri and Gilbert Imbula have both arrived at this club this season with big reputations and costly price-tags. Add that to the fact that Bojan was returning from a long-term injury and with Jack Butland establishing himself as a serious contender for the England Number One jersey, you could be forgiven for being slightly disappointed if you are a Stoke fan. A top ten finish looks very likely as they are currently 10th with a six point lead over Everton who are directly below them, and despite having played a game more, it would be something of a surprise to see them slip below their current position. Whether or not that is seen as success for the club depends on your viewpoint, but I think Hughes would admit himself that there is a need for his team to be more consistent.
It has been a very slow burner since Allardyce took over at the Stadium of Light but that should be no surprise when you take into account how poor Sunderland had been under previous manager Dick Advocaat. It’s only the last month or so where belief has grown amongst their loyal support that they could just spring the great escape once again. Despite only winning one game in their last seven, the Black Cats have manoeuvred themselves outside the bottom three, mainly due to the fact that the sole win came against Norwich a fortnight ago. An impressive 3-0 win at Carrow Road was a real statement of intent and one which they were able to back up with a determined draw at home to Arsenal last weekend. That point against the Gunners means they have drawn five of their last seven and it could well be those games which prove to be crucial come the end of the campaign. Their only defeat in that run came against champions-elect Leicester City, where they were essentially outplayed, but the manager has got them defending much better (three clean sheets in their last four) and it’s that which has allowed them to accumulate these vital points.
The undoubted highlights for Stoke this season are the home successes against both Manchester clubs and Chelsea. They won those games 5-0 on aggregate and demonstrated how good they are when they’re on their game. However, it is now just one win in their last seven league games and that will be frustrating for Hughes. He has looked visibly angry at times in their last three games, too, and it’s no surprise as Stoke have shipped 12 goals during them. Granted, those matches have been against Liverpool, Tottenham and Manchester City, but the manner of how they capitulated, and all but gifted goals to their opponents, is not in-keeping with a team managed by the fiery Welshman. With games against Crystal Palace and West Ham United to come following Saturday, it’s an opportunity for the players to restore some pride and attempt to finish the season on a high.
The three goals scored against Norwich in that crunch game a couple of weeks ago are the only times Sunderland have breached an opposition defence in their last four outings. That will be the main concern for Allardyce who will be delighted that his team have shored things up in defence but will be well aware of the importance of taking three points in the final run of games considering how tight it is between themselves and their two rivals. Jermaine Defoe has so often been the hero for them having scored 13 league goals, and although he missed a really good chance against Arsenal last week, you would imagine that if Sunderland are to maintain their Premier League status it will require a couple more goals from the little striker.
Stoke City v Sunderland Betting Tips
I do not anticipate this being a classic of any sorts but you get the impression that will be exactly wat Sam Allardyce will be hoping for. With Norwich facing a difficult game away to Arsenal in the early-evening kick-off on Saturday – and wit a game in-hand over Newcastle – a scrappy win would be a huge boost to their chances of staying up. Stoke are a proud lot, however, and although they have been outclassed against some good teams recently, they still possess a lot of quality and if they click then it could be a long afternoon for the visitors. Sunderland have to defend as well as they have over the course of the last few weeks if they are to get a result, here, make no mistake about that.
There are 16 points between these two clubs for a reason but it’s amazing how much a leveller this stage of the season is when matches pit a team desperate for points against one who would seemingly be quite glad to go on their summer holidays tomorrow. Despite some impressive performances against the top clubs at home, Stoke have actually lost seven times at the Britannia this term – including defeats to Palace and West Brom. They only narrowly beat Newcastle and Aston Villa as well, so it’s not too unrealistic to think Sunderland could get a result. It may be scrappy, it is unlikely to see many goals, but Sunderland are one something of a roll at the moment so they get a tentative selection to heap the pressure on the sides below them.
Sunderland 31/16 @ 888sport
