Sunderland see Middlesbrough head to Wearside this weekend.
Middlesbrough make the short trip to the Stadium of Light this weekend, for what promises to be an exciting and interesting affair between Boro and Sunderland.
The two teams have made steady starts to the 2024/25 seasons; Sunderland more so with Regis Le Bris‘ side sitting in 1st place of the Championship table, and Michael Carrick’s Middlesbrough in 10th.
Both have only lost once in the league this season, with Sunderland losing 3-2 vs Plymouth Argyle last weekend.
It was a hammer blow for the Black Cats after their perfect start to the campaign, though there were definite positives to take from the defeat, if a few negatives too.
Last season, Middlesbrough thumped Sunderland 4-0 at the Stadium of Light. Though almost a year on from that defeat, the Black Cats look in much better shape.
Romaine Mundle is earning plaudits for his fine form since Jack Clarke’s move to Ipswich Town, with others such as Chris Rigg catching the eye as well.
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Sam Parkin drops scoreline prediction for Sunderland v Middlesbrough
Sunderland and Middlesbrough face off at 12:30pm on Saturday afternoon, with the game being shown live on Sky Sports.
Le Bris will be eager for his players to put on a show in front of the Sky cameras and to retain their spot of the Championship table.
But EFL pundit Sam Parkin believes the two teams will share the points.
Speaking on the Championship Check-In podcast ahead of the weekend, Parkin said: “I think I’ll take a draw actually.
“Boro have only been beaten once haven’t they, and Sunderland tasted defeat for the first time.”
He added: “I quite like the draw. I think it might be quite cagey… bit of a rivalry.”
Parkin predicts a 1-1 scoreline.
Sunderland must avoid one thing when they play Middlesbrough
Last time out vs Plymouth, Sunderland arguably deserved a point.
They played some good attacking football, albeit not quite as intense as in previous games, and they still scored two goals against a stubborn Plymouth side.
But it was individual errors that cost them the game, and it’s those errors that they must eradicate against Middlesbrough.
It’ll come with confidence. And it’ll also come with time, with a lot of these Sunderland players still very young and inexperienced in the league.
Middlesbrough might well be Le Bris’ toughest assignment yet given the fact that it’s coming off the back of a defeat, and that there’s a bit of local rivalry involved too.
A point would be a decent enough result for the Black Cats. But if they’re realistic title challengers then they really should be winning this one.