Martin Wanless predicts…
Rating prediction: Soul-Promoting Scum 0, Superb Righteous Purple and Whites 1
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Chris Rigg
Look, it’s going to be an enormous problem, notably with Sunderland having just about an entire group out injured.
However, we’ve seen a number of instances up to now 12 months that we will pull magic outcomes out of the bag, and should you had been going to write down the script, this may be it. Haway the f’kin Lads!
‘The Champion’ Malc Dugdale predicts…
Rating prediction: Unhappy F*ckin Barcode Skunk Muppets 0 Sunderland 1
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Omar Alderete
Cometh the hour, cometh the eleven males (and substitutes).
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That is no time for half-arsed attitudes and ‘not getting off the bus’-type performances, and we have now to hope the lads absolutely get that. They appeared to get what this implies at residence and at Leeds too — however this implies a lot greater than Leeds away.
Any form of displaying like Burnley away early within the season merely received’t do.
If we get beat pretty and squarely and the pink and white wizards give their all and fall barely brief, that’s advantageous. That is our first derby for what looks like aeons, and we’re dealing with the ‘richest membership on the planet’ after eight years out of this division.
Splitting the Premier League factors complete in half this season wouldn’t be a nasty final result for us — means higher than it’s for them — with their deluded entitlement for extra embarrassing European soccer nonetheless being one thing they’ll little doubt anticipate slightly than hope for.
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My mind says a draw or a slender loss, however my coronary heart desires a win.
With Alderete nearly as good as Dan Ballard within the air and sure to play, I’m backing him to get one from a set piece, which is one thing we very a lot want after a poor return from such alternatives.
Do a ‘Nick Woltemade’ the suitable means, Omar, and let’s get residence with one other win towards this lot.
Haway the f*cking laaadddssss!!
Rating prediction: Saudi B Crew 0 Sunderland 1
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Granit Xhaka
Everybody retains telling me how we’re going to battle on this one, and I simply don’t see it. Sure, we’re going by a tricky spell, they usually’re doing higher than beforehand, however derbies by no means work like that.
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I used to be at St James’ Park after we misplaced 5-1 — one of many worst days following Sunderland in all my years. They’d simply been promoted and we had an incredible squad, but we had been nowhere close to the extent required and had been soundly punished.
What you’ll at all times get with our present crop of lads is excessive effort. Even in latest weeks, we’ve saved working and even when we’re working out of steam, we’ll go once more within the subsequent one.
The leaders we have now know the significance of this fixture to our supporters, and most of these new to the membership have skilled what it’s prefer to win one, so hopefully they’ll have the ability to envisage what it’s prefer to win one away.
There’s hushed discuss of some key gamers being accessible for this one, and we may undoubtedly use a bit injection to get us going, however we’ll be fired up — that’s assured
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At all times keep in mind that they preserve telling us we’ve performed nothing, regardless of performing admirably week after week in one of many hardest leagues on the planet. The strain is all on them in entrance of their blood-soaked overlords, and I simply have this sense that they’ll go away disenchanted.
Rating prediction: FTM 1 Sunderland 1
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Habib Diarra
Derby day, noon, and type normally goes out the window, however delivery seven targets in midweek received’t have helped their temper — however whether or not it makes them offended or nervous is the large query.
They’ll nonetheless begin shortly, backed by the gang, so we have to be stable early and never give them something low-cost. If we get by that spell, it evens out, and there’ll be possibilities on this for us.
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Diarra’s been poor currently, and I really feel a redemption is due. In all honesty, I don’t care who scores — I simply need us to win (regardless of the above scoreline).
Tight, scrappy and possibly not nice for the nerves…however I can see us getting a degree.
Haway the Lads!
Rating prediction: FTM 1 Sunderland 1
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Brian Brobbey
Stats and type going right into a recreation of this magnitude are irrelevant.
What issues is who desires it extra. Who has the bottle, the grit, the will to exit and declare the bragging rights? Either side have accidents to key gamers, and it’ll be hoped that whichever aspect enters that white-hot environment can address the strain.
There’s nonetheless a number of vanity from the darkish aspect going into as we speak, one thing you’d suppose they’d have realized by now’s unwise.
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A draw could be good given our damage record, however a win could be even sweeter than the one in December.
Present no mercy, lads, for you shall obtain none!
Rating prediction: Guests 0 Sunderland 0
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: N/A
I believe that is going to be a really cagey affair.
We’re not excellent at instances, they usually’re not excellent on a regular basis. They’ve important tempo which may trigger us points, however no one who can put the ball within the web.
They’ll be reeling from their defeat towards Barcelona, nevertheless, and we’ll must watch out that we don’t allow them to come out with extra depth than us. That’s the danger, actually.
I’m hoping for a colorless 0-0 or 0-1 come full time, and I can go to work the subsequent day with out having to cry into my keyboard.
Rating prediction: FTM 0 Sunderland 0
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: N/A
Because the damage record piles up with names that actually type the center and backbone of our beginning eleven, I’m genuinely involved concerning the final result of this match. I actually hope it’s only a case of us being overly cautious and never risking sure gamers with a recreation of this magnitude in thoughts.
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As well as, we’ve not been enjoying effectively in any respect, and the extraordinary press and need to struggle for each ball that was the very basis of our early-season success has evaded us.
To have any probability as we speak, we have now to not less than rekindle our relentless need to disrupt play. I’ll admit that my hopes went up a notch after the Barcelona drubbing in midweek, however we aren’t close to that stage to show their defensive weaknesses with such ease. If solely we’d landed Fermin Lopez final summer season!
The primary derby fixture earlier this season had all of the depth from us — one thing we’ve probably not seen a lot of this calendar 12 months — however on the entire, it appeared like neither aspect would rating all evening if not for the freak personal aim. So I really feel like one of the best we will hope for is one thing like that once more, because it’s troublesome to see us scoring.
We merely should recognise the event as soon as extra, stand tall in a hostile surroundings, present dedication and bravado in abundance, and we will go away with a outcome as we speak.
Rating prediction: FTM 0 Sunderland 1
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Granit Xhaka
F*ck Ant, F*ck Dec, Sting, Alan Shearer, Dan Burn, Kevin Keegan, and F*ck the Sugar Puff monster.
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F*ck Sam Fender, Cheryl Cole, Bruno Guimaraes, Gazza, Jimmy f*cking 5 Bellies, and Peter Beardsley.
F*ck Jimmy Nail, Tim Healy, Eddie Howe, Amanda Staveley, Joelinton and Steve Bruce.
F*ck the entire toon. F*ck the Geordie nation.
F*CK THE MAGS!
We narrowly misplaced to Brighton in an affair that would’ve gone both means however by which we fell a tad brief — partially attributable to personnel points getting even worse.
Chris Rigg’s aim was offside, and the guests’ aim was one of many weirdest we’ll see all season, with a participant down within the field being ignored, and the close to put up shot one thing that our goalkeeper undoubtedly ought to’ve performed higher with.
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We’ll hopefully have a couple of lads again from damage to shore up the pink and white wall, and we will flip our away type into the weapon our residence type as soon as was — beginning in as we speak’s early kick off away on the Mags.
Many of the lads went for a win or draw, and it actually may’ve gone both means. No targets for us although, so no factors for FGS, and solely Will (who misplaced factors for a late submission final outing) obtained something after the Seagulls headed south.
At present, we’ll see who can declare the bragging rights of being one of the best group within the North East and whereas it might find yourself being a tense and shut affair, the attainable disgrace at work on Monday would be the factor to be prevented by all followers, for certain.
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Thank God I’m an exile residing within the Midlands, as a result of if we get a sound beating, Monday could possibly be very difficult!
Malc and Will share high spot after Jonesy’s depressing however correct prediction of the Brighton loss will get him among the factors again he misplaced of late.
No change apart from that, although all eyes can be on this recreation, and for not less than at some point, this league and the Premier League desk itself won’t matter one iota.
Only a fast reminder of how we allocate factors to our match-by-match predictions:
Appropriate rating = Three factors
Appropriate final result (however not appropriate rating) = One level
Appropriate first Sunderland goalscorer = One level (no goalscorer is a legitimate name)
Attainable deductions for being lazy and never submitting on time = a two-point deduction.