Prediction: Sunderland vs Liverpool

19th March 2011

Sunderland ended the four-match losing run as they brought one point from the Emirates and they are now looking to build on that result. Liverpool won the big derby against Manchester United but the Reds were then eliminated from Europa League, so they enter this game with mixed feelings.

Sunderland have been making steady progress over the last few years with heavy investments in the playing squad finally starting to pay off. Steve Bruce’s side have been pretty impressive this season, with their amazing record against the top 6 sides proving the Black Cats are not far away from the best sides in the Premiership. What was really impressive is that Sunderland kept recording great results even though their infirmary were packed most of the time and their latest poor run of results can be attributed to accumulated fatigue rather than anything else. In all fairness, a heavy fixture list also played its part, but things are definitely looking up after the goalless draw at the Emirates. Steve Bruce had exactly two weeks to work with his players and that is likely to have a very positive effect on the squad, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see Sunderland return to winning ways by beating Liverpool. Lee Cattermole, Nedum Onuoha and Bolo Zenden all used the two-week break to recover from their respective injuries, but Campbell, Meyler and Turner remain sidelined.

There is no doubt that Liverpool have shown a lot of improvement under Kenny Dalglish, but it is more than evident that the Reds still lack the consistency, as well as some quality, to fight for the top 4 finish. Following the disappointing defeat to West Ham, Liverpool managed to take advantage of Manchester United’s defensive worries and record invaluable derby win, but their success was short lived as the Reds soon bailed out of Europe after being eliminated from Braga, having failed to score in either of the games against the pretty average Portuguese side. The players will be low on confidence following two dismal showings against Braga and they could find it hard to match very motivated Sunderland, especially as Steven Gerrard continues to miss out through injury. Daniel Agger is a doubt with a thigh problem, while Fabio Aurelio, Martin Kelly and Jonjo Shelvey are also out.

Conclusion

The two-week break will do Sunderland a lot of good as Steve Bruce will now have almost full squad to choose from and that should result in a good performance against Liverpool. The Reds, on the other hand, continue to struggle without Gerrard and they could easily end up empty handed here.

Verdict: Home win Sunderland (1)

Best Odds: 7/4

Bookmaker: Victor Chandler