Sunderland sit two points off the bottom three as they head into their double Gameweek and will be looking to create some breathing space with their match in hand. First up on the agenda are fellow relegation candidates Leicester City who – despite winning six of their last seven encounters – aren’t quite out of the woods yet. The Black Cats will be desperate to secure all three points against the Foxes in the knowledge that they face a tall task to overcome Arsenal at the Emirates four days later.
The Prospects
With back-to-back road trips against the Gunners and Chelsea closing out Sunderland’s campaign, manager Dick Advocaat will doubtless be targeting the Foxes clash as a must-win fixture. Aside from the Gunners (16 points in last six matches), the Foxes boast the best form in the league (15 in last six), highlighting their spectacular run of form in the past month and a half.
Nigel Pearson’s men have improved immeasurably at both ends of the pitch. On the attacking front, only Manchester City have tallied more goals (18) in the past seven Gameweeks (17), with Chelsea (12) a distant third. The goal scoring burden has been shouldered fairly evenly throughout the squad, with the likes of Riyad Mahrez, Andy King, and Wes Morgan all notching twice in the last eight to supplement the output of their strike force. Following his brace against Newcastle United, Leonardo Ulloa is the form man up front, while Jamie Vardy (three goals, four assist in eight) poses a consistent threat. Their defence has discovered a newfound resilience, too, notching four clean sheets in five outings.
Sunderland will need to tighten up before the Foxes visit, given that they’ve conceded the most shots inside the box (43) of any side in their previous four matches. Furthermore, Arsenal will have a field day if they continue to offer up such a wealth of chances in the final third; the North London club eased into a 3-0 lead over Hull City last time out, courtesy of some slick, incisive build-up play.
The Gunners are unbeaten in their last ten and only failed to net when they hosted Chelsea in a 0-0 stalemate – illustrating how slim Sunderland’s chances of a shut-out are. Coming off the back of a brace, Alexis Sanchez is in ominous form, while Olivier Giroud – despite carding blanks in his last three starts – clearly possesses the ability to put the Wearsiders to the sword, as evidenced by his seven goals in six matches from Gameweek 26 onwards. Moreover, Sunderland’s attacking contingent will need to find their rhythm to breach the Gunners’ resolute rearguard, who’ve conceded just four goals in eight matches.
The Likely Lads
With a points per game (ppg) average of 4.2, Costel Pantilimon (4.5) has been the most consistent performer in Sunderland’s defence this term. The Romanian goalkeeper ranks sixth among his peers this season with regards to total saves made (104), despite only making 26 appearances. As such, Pantilimon has earned eight save points in his previous nine starts for the Black Cats.
Aside from their 4-1 home mauling by Palace, Sunderland have been fairly resilient under their new manager. Indeed, that’s the only time they’ve conceded more than one goal since Advocaat was appointed, with two clean sheets in the last five offering hope of defensive returns. With five assists to his name this season, the 4.1-priced Patrick van Aanholt is the choice pick – furthermore, the Dutchman rates second amongst defenders for total attempts (eight) over their respective last six matches.
After failing to earn any returns over a run of 13 appearances, Jordi Gomez (5.1) has played with a renewed confidence in his last two starts, doubling his tally for the season by virtue of two goals and one assist. The Spanish midfielder also benefits from taking Sunderland’s spot-kicks and has mustered four attempts on target in as many starts.
Since forging a way into the starting XI, Danny Graham (4.7) has produced points in both his starts under Advocaat, courtesy of a goal and assist. In truth, the options up front are a bit of a lottery but Graham’s role as the central striker in Advocaat’s 4-3-3 set-up suggests he’s the likeliest to prosper. Like Gomez, he’s hitting top form just in time for the double and looks filled with self-belief after spending most of the season on the periphery.
The Cheeky Punts
Jermain Defoe (5.0) netted for only the second time in 11 starts against Everton, with a somewhat fortuitous strike at Goodison. The ex-Tottenham marksman needed a spectacular effort to break a six-match barren run in Gameweek 31, which provides us with little justification to elevate Defoe beyond the Punt level. Advocaat’s decision to move him onto the right of a 4-3-3 also dents his appeal.
Connor Wickham (5.6) shot to prominence with back-to-back goals in Gameweek 32 and 34. No Sunderland forward has engineered as many shots at goal (nine) as the English frontman in the last four Gameweeks, yet the return of Graham in the central berth tempers out enthusiasm for Wickham, who is likely to be fielded on the left of the front three again.
Seb Larsson (5.3) has three goals and four assists to his name this term and his ability from dead-ball situations could bring him into contention. Having drawn blanks in his last 11 starts, the Swede carries little form into the two fixtures, though it’s worth noting he did managed to create four chances for his team-mates at Goodison. After returning from a two-match suspension, he’s been subbed off before the end of the subsequent couple of matches, whereas fellow midfielder Gomez has played from start to finish in all but one of Advocaat’s six fixtures in charge.
