Can the Baggies score another treble?
The ball is still resting in the top flight of English football, but the Championship, England’s second highest division, is back in action. Two teams, Sunderland and West Brom, round off the 22nd matchday on Monday evening. Monday’s game is especially important for the Baggies from West Bromwich.
WBA are still in one of the three relegation places after a false start and are thus in a relegation battle just a few matchdays before the end of the first half of the season. Nevertheless, it is not out of place – especially after the Baggies’ recent winning streak – to tip WBA on Sunderland vs. West Brom.
The best bookmakers see the visitors as favourites anyway and only offer quotes in the 2.50 range. The last time the two teams met was in January 2017 in the Premier League. The Baggies edged out the Black Cats 2-0 on that occasion to extend their recent H2H.
WBA have not lost to Sunderland AFC since May 2014. The league’s 22nd-placed side will therefore approach Monday’s Championship match with a broad chest.
Sunderland – Statistics & current form
The Black Cats have recently compensated for their poor start to the season and climbed to eleventh place in the Championship table. With the latest victory against Millwall, Sunderland even reduced the gap to the starting positions for the promotion play-offs. Before Monday’s game against WBA, only a few points separate the Black Cats from sixth place in the table.
It is nevertheless risky to place a bet on the hosts from the northern English port city in Sunderland vs. West Brom. The Black Cats have only won one of their last 14 games against West Brom. That win came just under eight years ago, since when Sunderland have gone winless against WBA six times in a row.
The run of success in the last few league games before the World Cup break is nevertheless encouraging, even if Sunderland AFC still need to work on their home record this season. SAFC have won only three of their ten league games at home this season. Most recently, they have even lost two of their last three home games at the Stadium of Light.
Can SAFC keep WBA’s offence in check?
Let’s commend the recent form of the defence for this. Since the 4-2 defeat to Burnley FC, Sunderland have not conceded more than one goal in any of their last five matches. It is quite possible that the streak will continue against the Baggies from West Bromwich. A low-scoring encounter is the obvious choice between the two clubs anyway.
In the last five matches between the two clubs, the three-goal mark has not been broken anyway. If less than 2.5 goals are scored in the match, West Brom vs. Sunderland will pay out reasonable betting odds.
SAFC coach Tony Mowbray will have to do without two players due to injury. In addition to centre-back Daniel Ballard, Ellis Simms is also expected to miss Monday’s match. The youngster is one of SAFC’s most prolific scorers with five goals to his name. Stewart may start up front in his place.
Predicted Sunderland line-up:
Patterson; Gooch, O’Nien, Batth, Alese; Evans, Neil; Diallo, Pritchard, Clarke; Stewart
Last matches played by Sunderland:
Championship
03/12/2022 – Sunderland 3 – 0 Millwall
Club Friendlies
25/11/2022 – Al Shabab 0 – 1 Sunderland
Championship
12/11/2022 – Birmingham 1 – 2 Sunderland
05/11/2022 – Sunderland 0 – 1 Cardiff
03/11/2022 – Huddersfield 0 – 2 Sunderland
West Brom – Statistics & current form
West Brom were one of the potential promotion candidates at the beginning of the season. In the meantime, however, the tide has turned for the Baggies. Instead of fighting for promotion, WBA is currently in a relegation battle and is already struggling to stay in the league after the first half of the season. With only 23 points to their name, the Baggies are in one of the three relegation places in the Championship.
Before the recent winning streak – WBA won three league games in a row – head coach Carlos Corberán’s team was still in last place in the table. In the meantime, West Brom have not only relinquished the red lantern, but also have a realistic chance of leaving the relegation zone on this matchday.
To do so, WBA only need to win their upcoming encounter at SAFC. If recent H2H is anything to go by, the match at the Stadium of Light will come in handy for the Baggies. In their last 15 competitive matches with Sunderland, West Bromwich Albion have a record of 9-5-1.
No goals conceded again for the Baggies?
In their last three competitive matches before the World Cup break, West Brom not only won three in a row, but also went without conceding a goal in that period. The Baggies kept their clean sheet against teams like Blackpool (1-0), QPR (1-0) and Stoke (2-0). It is not out of the question that the series will be extended against SAFC as well.
In four of the last five matches against Sunderland, West Brom have not conceded a goal. That included the last league encounter, which WBA won 2-0 in January 2017. Only Kean Bryan and Erik Pieters will miss Monday’s clash with the Baggies through injury. There are no other absentees for the visitors at the moment.
Predicted West Brom line-up:
Palmer; Furlong, Bartley, O’Shea, Townsend; Yokuslu, Molumby; Wallace, Swift, Phillips; Thomas-Asante
Last matches played by West Brom:
Club friendlies
02/12/2022 – Elks 1 – 0 West Bromwich
Championship
12/11/2022 – West Bromwich 2 – 0 Stoke
05/11/2022 – Queens Park Rangers 0 – 1 West Bromwich
02/11/2022 – West Bromwich 1 – 0 Blackpool
29/10/2022 – West Bromwich 0 – 2 Sheffield United
Sunderland – West Brom Direct comparison / H2H balance
Sunderland and West Brom meet for the 157th time in total. The Black Cats from Sunderland currently lead the historical direct comparison with a record of 57-44-55. Only one of those 57 wins have come in the last 15 must-win duels with the Baggies. An average of 3.15 goals per game has been scored in the 156 matches between the two clubs.
Nonetheless, given the recent form of both teams, it’s a gamble to predict a high-scoring encounter between Sunderland and West Brom. Especially as in the league games before the World Cup break, the Baggies’ defensive bulwark, which is once again strong, was particularly convincing.
Sunderland – West Brom Tip
Head coach Carlos Corberán’s side got back to winning ways just in time for the World Cup break and have already set the stage for a move into a non-relegation spot. At present, only one point separates WBA from the relegation zone, which makes Monday’s match in the northern English port city all the more important.
With a win, WBA can move past their league rivals and leave the relegation places in the Championship for the first time since matchday eight. However, the match in Sunderland will by no means be a foregone conclusion. The Black Cats, like WBA, are in excellent form.
Sunderland have won three of their last four encounters in the second English league and thus reduced the gap to the starting places for the promotion play-offs. Just like WBA, the Black Cats’ defensive bulwark in particular left a positive impression before the World Cup break.
We therefore expect a low-scoring encounter in Monday’s match between the two clubs and place our bet on Sunderland vs. West Brom at reasonable odds of under 2.5 goals. We are using six units to do so.
