The Black Cats are on a roll right now, and the experts have spoken when it comes to a Sunderland vs Preston score prediction, with one team having far more to play for.
Sunderland picked up another crucial three points at the weekend by beating Cardiff City 2-1 at the Stadium of Light.
Goals from Eliezer Mayenda and a surprise first goal for Chris Mepham secured the victory, but now attention turns to the challenge posed by Preston North End.
Sunderland are a long way ahead of Preston in the Championship table, but as we know, anyone can beat anyone in this league. So, which way will this game go?
Experts believe Sunderland can keep run going vs Preston
Discussing the upcoming fixture on the Championship Check-In podcast, hosts Benjamin Bloom and Sam Parkin both backed Sunderland to get the three points tonight, but we should not expect many goals.
Bloom said: “The Alan Browne derby. I’m looking at a bit of a winless run for Preston here. Sunderland with back-to-back wins, and they’ve taken five points out of Leeds in the last two games to close the gap. They need another win to keep up with the others at the top. And I’ll back them to do just that.
“Paul Heckingbottom and Stuart McCall in the Preston dugout will mean this is low margins. I’ll go 1-0 to Sunderland.”
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Heckingbottom thought Preston could match Sunderland this season, but there is clearly a big difference between the two teams as we head into the final stages of the campaign.
Parkin agreed with Bloom, adding: “That’s probably where I would have gone, too. Preston have the FA Cup on the horizon, the reality is they’ve got a cushion for safety… and Sunderland, the reality is it’s probably play-offs but they could come up with a run still and put the top two under pressure.
“It’s must-win for Sunderland in those terms. I’ll go 2-0 to Sunderland.”
Sunderland need a miracle, but they have to keep fighting
Sunderland are currently eight points away from Leeds United and Sheffield United, and six points behind Burnley. On paper, that feels like a big, but not impossible gap to close.
However, the problem is, all three teams have been so relentless all season that it’s just so difficult to imagine a world where two of them slip up enough to allow the Black Cats back into the race.
Sunderland’s promotion hopes are slim, at least via the automatic route, but they still have so much to play for.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  LeedsLeeds | 36 | 22 | 10 | 4 | 72 | 23 | 49 | 76 |
| 2 |  Sheff UtdSheffield Utd | 36 | 24 | 6 | 6 | 51 | 27 | 24 | 76 |
| 3 |  BurnleyBurnley | 36 | 20 | 14 | 2 | 49 | 10 | 39 | 74 |
| 4 | SunderlandSunderland | 36 | 19 | 11 | 6 | 54 | 33 | 21 | 68 |
| 5 |  CoventryCoventry | 36 | 16 | 8 | 12 | 52 | 46 | 6 | 56 |
| 6 |  West BromWest Brom | 36 | 13 | 16 | 7 | 46 | 32 | 14 | 55 |
Assuming it is the play-offs that Sunderland target, Le Bris and his men have ten games now to generate the momentum needed to carry them through that gruelling three-match test and get back to the Premier League.
Winning games from now until the end of the season isn’t just about catching the teams above, it’s about keeping the chasing pack at arm’s length and proving that Sunderland are the team to beat in the play-offs.