English Premier
2009-04-18 - Sunderland vs Hull City
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Sunderland
Sunderland put in a really good performance against Manchester United last week but they were unsuccessful in gaining any points which leaves them in 17th and only 2 points better off than their North East rivals, Newcastle and Middlesbrough, below them.
Sunderland have a 8-8-16 record in the League and are 5-3-8 at the Stadium of Light where they have scored 18 goals and conceded 20. Sunderland have struggled for goals all season and only 3 teams have scored less goals at home this season than Sunderland.
Ricky Sbragia is under threat as Sunderland manager with rumours of Alan Curbishly being his replacement in the media and this could be due to the fact that they have not won any of their last 7 games and have lost 5 of their last 6 games. They have failed to win any of their last 3 games at home and they have lost their last 2 there.
Dean Whitehead, Andy Reid and Kieron Richardson are all back in the squad for the Black Cats. Steed Malbranque is also in line for a comeback but George McCartney and David Healy are out.
Hull City
Hull City have been on a slippery slope for some time and now find themselves only 4 points outside of the relegation zone. They have a 8-10-14 record in the League, and are 5-5-6 away from home where they have scored 20 goals and conceded 25. Only the top 6 have managed to win more away games than Hull this season, but most of these successes came at the beginning of the season.
Hull have only won 1 of their last 16 Premier League matches, a 0-1 win at Fulham last month, but they have lost 10 of those 16 matches which has left them in this precarious position. They have only won 1 of their last 11 away games in the League and will need a better performance than the one they gave at Middlesbrough last week.
Daniel Cousin and Bernard Mendy are both struggling to pass fit for this game. Ian Ashbee is suspended for the game and it is likely that they will make a change in goal with Myhill taking over from Duke.
Head to Head
Sunderland won the reverse fixture this season 1-4 earlier this season against Hull.
They also met 2 years ago in the Championship, when Sunderland managed to beat Hull home and away.
Prediction
Sunderland will be hoping for a performance as they gave last week but will also be hoping for the little bit of luck that can make the difference between survival and relegation this season. They will know a win will give them a 5 point gap over the sides below them and will also allow them to overtake Hull in the table.
Hull City will want to do the opposite of Sunderland and perform vastly better than they did at Middlesbrough last week. The points they have gathered from earlier this season have kept them out of the relegation zone but they still need points to ensure survival, especially against those sides that are below them already. A defeat here will really put Hull in a lot of trouble.
I think Sunderland impressed me enough last week to suggest they will win this game and I favour their front two of Cisse and Jones to cause problems, The return of Richardson and Reid will mean they have enough creativity to create chances and I think Sunderland do enough to take the 3 points and give themselves a buffer from relegation.
The Pick :
Sunderland 2-1 Hull City
BEST BETTING TIP :
Sunderland WIN
