Tuesday brings us a bottom-of-the-table scrap between Leeds and Sunderland. Both sides could conceivably fall toward the relegation zone with a bad run of form, and the impetus is on these players to get safe sooner than later. Which one of these squads will pull out all three points?
Leeds is a -110 ML favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook. A Sunderland upset is priced at +320 odds, with the draw at +250. The over/under for this game is set at 2.5 goals. Let’s get into a prediction and a pick for this matchup.
Leeds vs. Sunderland prediction, pick
Sunderland have been a pleasant surprise in their first Premier League campaign since 2016-17. They roared out of the gate, putting themselves in a great position to avoid the cycle of relegation. However, their form has faltered, and they’re suddenly at risk. Sitting 12th in the table with 37 points, the Black Cats are 12 points ahead of the relegation zone. However, they have only won two of 10 games since the start of the new year. It’s time for a turnaround, or else they’ll inch closer to a date with the EFL Championship.
Leeds have to be worrying about relegation as well. After spending two years in the Championship, they’re hoping to be back up for quite some time. They’re sitting at 15th with 31 points, only six ahead of the drop zone. But they’re out of an extremely tough stretch: four of their last five games have come against Arsenal, Man City, Aston Villa, and Chelsea. They managed two points out of that, wrapped around a win against Nottingham, keeping their heads above water. Most of their tough fixtures are out of the way, and if they buckle down, they’ll stay up. But you can only think one game at a time.
A stout defense is the key for Leeds. They’ve conceded 47 goals on the year, a less-than-ideal mark. Manager Daniel Farke has moved to a five-man back line in the hopes of addressing some of these issues. Leeds also need a big game out of Anton Stach, who has been on a prolific run from the midfield.
Sunderland will look to Granit Xhaka to steady the ship. The veteran midfielder knows what it takes in the Prem, but this is a tall task. Their defensive structure has come apart at the seams recently. Can they keep it together to pull off a key victory?
Leeds are the favorites, and rightfully so. But I think the value is on the goal line here. Neither of these defenses has shown quality recently, and there is enough attacking talent on both sides to take advantage of this. We’re playing the over and rooting for a free-flowing game.
