Sunderland vs Stoke.

Sunderland v Stoke

Online Betting Odds and Football Match Preview

Saturday 7 February 2009,

Stadium of Light

Kickoff: 15:00

 

Sunderland

Sunderland drew their last match 1-1 away against Newcastle United, making it two consecutive league games without defeat.

In their last five matches, Sunderland have won one, drawn two and lost two, gaining a total of 5 points from a possible 15. The Black Cats have scored 4 goals and conceded 7 in these matches, as they currently sit at 13th place in the league table.

Sunderland have had a busy last few days in the transfer window, capturing West Ham defender Calum Davenport and Manchester City defender Tal Ben Haim, both on loan until the end of the season.


Sunderland have sold striker El-Hadji Diouf to Blackburn and striker Michael Chopra to Cardiff City as well, with defender Pascal Chimbonda having left the squad to sign with Spurs last week.

The Black Cats will be without Myron Nosworthy (hamstring), Paul McShane (hamstring) and Darren Ward (back), although Djibril Cisse, Craig Gordon and Teemu Tainio are hopeful for a return from injury.

Best Online Betting Odds for Sunderland: Bet on Sunderland to win at 1.83 from (see full betting odds further down the page)

Stoke

Stoke City were victorious 1-0 at home against Manchester City in their last match, ending a nine match run without a single victory.

In their last five matches, the Potters have won one, drawn one and lost three, earning themselves 4 points from a possible 15. Stoke have scored 4 goals and conceded 7 in these matches, as they currently sit 17th in the league table.


Stoke have signed Wigan striker Henri Camara on loan for the rest of the season, in addition to the signings of James Beattie and Matthew Etherington that were made by manager Toni Pulis during the January transfer window. Also, Stoke have agreed to contract extensions with both Senegal midfielder Amdy Faye and defender Andy Wilkinson.

The Potters will be without Sidibe (knee) Cort (groin), and Diao (calf), although Danny Higginbotham is hopeful for a return from injury.

Best Online Betting Odds for Stoke City: Bet on Stoke to win at 4.75 from (see full betting odds further down the page)

Prediction

Stoke defeated Sunderland 1-0 at home earlier in the season, however Stoke's form has plummeted since then, whilst Sunderland's has improved somewhat.

The signing of several defensive players on loan should boost Sunderland's overall ability to withstand threats from the opposition, whilst their selling of several strikers should not impact the side's attacking quality too heavily as their leading goalscorers still remain in the squad.

Stoke on the other hand will hope that their recent signings will greatly boost their attacking strength and help the side fight off the threat of relegation. With the first two signings in James Beattie and Matthew Etherington performing incredibly well in their first matches with the squad, and with the Black Cats hopeful over striker Camara's abilities, Stoke could very well show an improvement in performance in their upcoming fixtures.

Still, Stoke's away form this season has been the poorest in the league, with the Black Cats failing to post a single victory on the road so far, whereas Sunderland have put in a fairly stable performance in their home fixtures.


Therefore, Sunderland will go into this match as favourites for the victory. However, with their new signings starting to heat up in form, Stoke City could very well come away from this encounter with at least a point.

Best betting odds for the match from the top online bookmakers:

 

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Read More Previews for this Weekend's Matches:

Blackburn vs Aston Villa

Chelsea vs Hull

Everton vs Bolton

Manchester City vs Middlesbrough

Portsmouth vs Liverpool

Sunderland vs Stoke

West Brom vs Newcastle

Wigan vs Fulham

Tottenham vs Arsenal

West Ham vs Manchester United

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