Micky Gray has given his verdict on Sunderland’s chances of winning promotion to the Premier League this season.
Speaking to Sunderland Echo, the former defender predicted one team to ‘run away with it’.
Sunderland have had a rollercoaster of a season so far as they sit sixth in the Championship, winning eight games but also losing six.
While they have suffered defeats to the likes of Middlesbrough, Stoke and Cardiff City, they are in a much better position than they were this time last season.
After 16 games of the 2022-23 campaign, the Black Cats sat in 13th place and were six points short of their current tally.
Sunderland went onto quickly improve and reached the Championship play-offs before they were knocked out by Luton Town.
While statistics say Tony Mowbray‘s side are doing better this time round, Micky Gray doesn’t think things will go any better for Sunderland at their second attempt.
“Well, If I’m brutally honest with you, I think Leicester are going to run away with it,” Gray told The Echo.
“They are the standout team this season, no question about it and they have Premier League experience and Premier League players.
“I think there are a batch of teams just underneath them: Ipswich Town, Leeds United and Southampton now, who look as if they are making a push.
“I have always said since the beginning of the season, after the success of last season and making the play-off semi-finals and unfortunately losing against Luton, I can see similar again.
“I think the squad is just as strong, obviously there are a few players who have gone back to their parent clubs, one of them being Amad Diallo, it would have been fantastic to see him here again.
“We have to try and stay on the coattails of those teams in January and you never know. You look at Patrick Roberts and Jack Clarke, Ekwah and Bellingham and we have a brilliant balance of abilities and a bit of flair which you need.”
Can Sunderland win promotion?
I have absolutely no complaints about how our season has panned out so far, but I would be very surprised if we were able to improve on our play-off defeat.
I think Amad Diallo is a much bigger loss than expected, whilst the goals of Ross Stewart in the first half of the campaign played a big role in picking up some points.
As well as our own absences, we also have much stronger competition than last season. Leicester, Leeds United and Southampton must be three of the strongest teams to ever come down from the Premier League, while the likes of Ipswich, West Brom and Middlesbrough are all perfectly capable of winning promotion.
We will see where we sit in the table in a few months time, but Tony Mowbray would have to be given a new ten-year contract if he manages to get us up to the Premier League.