Sunderland vs Middlesbrough Prediction & Betting Tips - Championship

Prediction published on 19/09/2024, 07:30  by Matthew Newman in Championship Predictions

A Wear-Tees Derby on Saturday lunchtime in the Championship as 2nd-place Sunderland take on 10th-place Middlesbrough. Only four points separate the sides at this early stage of the season. This should be a feisty match to watch and a great one to make a prediction in.

Sunderland are a perfect 2/2 at home this season. They have beaten Sheffield Wednesday and Burnley without conceding a goal. Wins away at Cardiff and Portsmouth gave them 12 points, only a stoppage-time goal at Plymouth prevented them from picking up a point there.

Romaine Mundle has scored in three straight games for Sunderland, the 21-year-old a product of the Spurs youth system. His Burnley and Plymouth goals were very similar, cutting inside onto his right foot to fire from a tight angle into the far corner. He has looked like a real handful down the left-hand side this season.

A 2-0 win at Cardiff for 'Boro was the same final scoreline that Sunderland won by in South Wales. They fell 0-1 to Derby in their only other game on the road in the league but did come away from Leeds with a 3-0 League Cup success.

They picked up a point more away from home than they did at The Riverside last season so being on their travels clearly doesn't phase them. A 4-0 win in this corresponding fixture last year was helped by the home side going down to 10 men on the stroke of halftime. All the goals came in the second half.

Just one of their six goals this season has come from a forward. That is a concern for them ahead of Saturday. Led by two goals from central defender Matt Clarke, that is an unsustainable situation.