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The Tee-Wear derby is upon us, as Sunderland welcome Middlesbrough to the Stadium of Light for an EFL Championship lunchtime kickoff on Saturday.
The home side are coming into the game on the back of a routine 2-0 victory over Watford at the same ground on Wednesday. Niall Huggins and Abdoullah Ba scored in either half to guide the Black Cats to victory.
Middlesbrough, meanwhile, claimed maximum points by the same scoreline at home to Cardiff City. Isaiah Jones and Emmanuel Lath scored second-half goals to help their team claim maximum points.
The victory saw Boro climb to 17th spot in the table, having garnered 11 points from 10 games. Sunderland sit in fourth place with 19 points to show for their efforts in 10 games.
Sunderland vs Middlesbrough Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two sides have clashed on 151 occasions in the past. Sunderland have 62 wins to their name, Middlesbrough were victorious in 51 previous games, while 38 games ended in a share of the spoils.
- Their most recent meeting came in January 2023 when Sunderland claimed a 2-0 home win.
- Six of the last seven head-to-head games have seen at least one side fail to find the back of the net, with all six games producing less than three goals.
- Sunderland's Jack Clarke sits joint-top of the scorer's chart in the league, having scored seven goals in 10 games.
- Five of Middlesbrough's last six away games in all competitions have witnessed goals at both ends, with seven of the last nine on their travels producing at least three goals.
Sunderland vs Middlesbrough Prediction
Sunderland's strong start to the season has seen them slug it out in the playoff spots and have fans dreaming of a return to the top-flight. The Black Cats have won five of their last six games but will be coming up against an improving Middlesbrough.
Saturday's visitors are unbeaten in their last five games in all competitions, winning their last four on the bounce. Michael Carrick has turned things around at the Riverside after a seven-game winless start to the season.
We are backing Sunderland to claim maximum points with a narrow win in addition to goals at both ends.
Prediction: Sunderland 2-1 Middlesbrough
Sunderland vs Middlesbrough Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Sunderland to win
Tip 2 - Both teams to score
Tip 3 - Over 2.5 goals
Tip 4 - Sunderland to score over 1.5 goals
