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Sunderland welcome Accrington Stanley to the Stadium of Light this Saturday with maximum points deemed an absolute necessity by their fans.
The Black Cats occupy the third spot in the League One table but find themselves seven points behind Peterborough United in second with just four matches left.
Clearly, automatic promotion is a far cry, especially given Sunderland's disastrous current run of form. They are the only team in the division alongside Ipswich Town without a win in their last five games.
Accrington Stanley, on the other hand, are sandwiched right in the middle of the league table. They could leapfrog straight into the playoff spots with a strong finish to their campaign.
They're currently 12th with 61 points, just five behind sixth-placed Charlton Athletic. This promises to be a thrilling tussle.
Also Read: Ballon d'Or Power Rankings: April 2021
Sunderland vs Accrington Stanley head-to-head
Sunderland are not used to being in England's third division. So it is no surprise to see that these two clubs, who have coexisted for well over a century, only meet five times before. Their first encounter in 2019 ended in a draw, but Sunderland have prevailed ever since.
Sunderland form: D-L-L-L-D
Accrington Stanley form: W-L-D-L-W
Sunderland vs Accrington Stanley team news
Sunderland
Lee Johnson saw his side fight valiantly to take the lead twice against league leaders Hull City recently, only to concede two heartbreaking equalizers.
They missed the services of star man Aiden McGeady in that fixture, but there is hope he can return for the visit of Accrington Stanley.
Injured: Jake Vokins, Arbenit Xhemajli, Tom Flanagan, Conor McLaughlin
Doubtful: Aiden McGeady
Suspensions: None
Accrington Stanley
Full of confidence after securing a win courtesy of an injury-time penalty in their latest match, John Coleman's team are looking to build on that at the Stadium of Light.
The club's top-scorer, Dion Charles, took his tally for the season to 19 goals with another brace at Doncaster Rovers. However, they continue to miss the creative presence of Joe Pritchard.
Injured: Joe Pritchard, Mark Hughes, Mo Sangara, Lamine Kaba Sherif, Ross Sykes
Doubtful: None
Suspensions: None
Sunderland vs Accrington Stanley predicted XI
Sunderland predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Lee Burge; Callum McFadzean; Luke O'Nien; Bailey Wright; Max Power; Josh Scowen; Grant Leadbitter; Aiden McGeady; Aiden O'Brien; Jordan Jones; Charlie Wyke
Accrington Stanley predicted XI (4-1-2-1-2): Toby Savin; Harvey Rodgers; Michael Nottingham; Ben Barclay; Cameron Burgess; Seamus Conneely; Matt Butcher; Sean McConville; Adam Phillips; Colby Bishop; Dion Charles
Sunderland vs Accrington Stanley prediction
It is probably too late for Sunderland to mount a dramatic push for second spot. They simply need to return to winning ways to regain their confidence ahead of next month's promotion playoffs.
They showed enough promising signs in their last match to back them for a win at home. Accrington Stanley will certainly not allow that to happen easily, though.
Prediction: Sunderland 2-1 Accrington Stanley
Also Read: Lethal Karim Benzema returns with aplomb as Real Madrid move to the top of La Liga
