How Sunderland’s final eight games compare to Championship play-off rivals Coventry City and West Brom

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Sunderland are almost certain to finish in the play-offs this season, but can they hang on to fourth place? We take a look at the Black Cats’ final eight games compared to the teams around them.

In the first half of the season, Sunderland looked like genuine title contenders, with Regis Le Bris getting his side playing expansive, exciting football and putting away teams with ease.

Since the turn of the year, Sunderland have lost touch with the top three teams, and a recent run of poor form has left them now completely out of reach.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LeedsLeeds	38	23	11	4	76	25	51	80
2	Sheff UtdSheffield Utd	38	25	7	6	53	28	25	80
3	BurnleyBurnley	38	21	15	2	52	11	41	78
4	SunderlandSunderland	38	19	12	7	55	37	18	69
5	CoventryCoventry	38	17	8	13	55	48	7	59
6	West BromWest Brom	38	13	18	7	48	34	14	57
7	Bristol CityBristol City	38	14	15	9	49	41	8	57

Many suspect the Mackems are pretty much stranded in fourth place now; too far away from the likes of Burnley, Sheffield United, and Leeds, but with enough of a cushion to not worry about Coventry and West Brom behind them.

However, after the abysmal 3-0 defeat to Coventry last weekend, can we be quite sure that Sunderland are safe where they are? Here’s a look at the final run-in for all three teams.

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Sunderland’s final run-in looks tough on paper

Frankly, Sunderland have been poor for weeks, maybe even months now. The squad is heavily fatigued, with many players playing too many minutes, and Le Bris not rotating his lineup enough to keep players fresh.

Something has to change in the next few weeks, and Le Bris now essentially has eight games to drag Sunderland back on track and build some momentum before the play-off dates arrive.

First up for Sunderland is Millwall, with former manager Alex Neil returning to the Stadium of Light. Were this game at The Den, we’d be even more worried, but at home, with the international break allowing the Black Cats to rest, we hope for and firmly expect a reaction and a positive result.

Then, it’s on to a massive game, with an away trip to The Hawthorns to face West Brom and another former Sunderland manager, Tony Mowbray. Trai Hume admitted he’s wary of facing West Brom due to the Mowbray factor, and he’s right to be worried.

Norwich’s inconsistency and Swansea’s struggles this season make those two games look like safe bets for Sunderland (if there is such a thing with this team right now).

But, an trip to Ashton Gate to face Bristol City will be a stern test on April 18th. The Robins have been really strong at home and have play-off ambitions of their own. We don’t fancy Sunderland there at all.

However, the saving grace for Sunderland is that their final three games include home ties with a weakened Blackburn side and a fairly average QPR team, plus an away day at Oxford United, who have struggled of late.

If Le Bris and his men can’t pick up nine points from those final games, they don’t deserve to be in the play-offs at all, to be honest.

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Coventry City and West Brom’s final eight games this season

The problem for Sunderland is that Coventry are in electric form right now, and if they keep it up, they’ll be hard to beat in the play-offs.

After the battering Sunderland took at the hands of Frank Lampard’s team before the international break, you can bet the Black Cats won’t want to face them again in a hurry.

West Brom, meanwhile, are a sturdy side at the back, and they’ve started to show a more attacking side to their game since Mowbray arrived.

As we’ve seen this season, and every other season for that matter, anyone in the Championship is capable of beating anyone. But, for Coventry, the run-in really doesn’t look too kind, and we could see the Lampard hype train come to an abrupt stop.

Sheffield United and Leeds are up next, with games against West Brom and fellow play-off candidates Middlesbrough to follow in the final run-in.

That’s without mentioning away trips to Plymouth and Luton, who are both fighting for their lives at the foot of the table and will be eager to spoil the party for Coventry.

West Brom’s run-in doesn’t look quite as daunting. They’ll fancy themselves against Norwich, Watford, Cardiff, and Luton, while on current form, Sunderland can’t be feared anymore.

The game against Coventry will be huge for the Baggies, and it’s likely that whoever wins that will nab fifth place this season. But, regardless, we expect both these rivals to secure a top six finish, and they’ll be formidable opponents in the play-offs if and when Sunderland meet them.