Prediction: Sunderland vs Blackburn

10th December 2011

Martin O’Neill starts his Sunderland reign with a home game against fellow strugglers Blackburn, with the Black Cats hoping the Northern Irishman can help them turn this season around. Rovers, on the other hand, boosted their survival hopes by beating Swansea at Ewood, but Steve Kean’s side are still looking for the first away win of the season.

Steven Bruce may have been sacked before he was able to complete his job at the Stadium of Light, but given the amount of money he had at his disposal over the last two years, there is no doubt in my mind that he should have done much better. Even if the decision to sack the former Manchester United defender caused a lot of controversy, I don’t think the Sunderland board could have chosen a better candidate for the job than Martin O’Neill. The charismatic manager has enjoyed success everywhere he worked and his fighting spirit is likely to help the Black Cats restore some of the lost confidence. While Sunderland may lack some quality to enter the race for European places, it is more than clear that they have more than enough of it to avoid the drop and this is a perfect opportunity to them to end the poor run of results and create a decent advantage over their relegation rivals. Craig Gardner is expected to replace suspended captain Lee Cattermole, but Nicklas Bendtner and Phil Bardsley are both doubtful.

Blackburn boss Steve Kean has been under tremendous pressure from the very start to the season and he was everyone’s first choice to win the Premiership Sack Race. Steve Bruce did win the first round of the interesting competition, but the second round could easily go to the Rovers manager. His side finally managed to escape from the bottom of the standings as they recorded a 4:2 win over newly promoted Swansea City, but that still doesn’t give them much reason for optimism before the trip to the Stadium of Light. Having picked up just four points from seven away games this season, Rovers are certainly going to try and improve that record, but that is easier said than done. After scoring in all seven away games this season, Steve Kean’s side are likely to continue the great run, but their leaky defence always finds a way to gift several goals to the opponent, and that usually ends up costing the team precious points. Steven Nzonzi and Ryan Nelsen miss out through suspension and injury respectively, whereas Ruben Rochina and Martin Olson are injury doubts.

Conclusion

We are likely to see a very tight game between the relegation strugglers, but we shouldn’t underestimate the effect of Martin O’Neill’s arrival at the Stadium of Light. Blackburn’s dismal away form could also play a part, so I really believe Sunderland can record a very important victory here.

Verdict: Home win Sunderland (1)

Best Odds: 10/11

Bookmaker: Paddy Power