Sunderland are back on track after their 2-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday last Friday, but the Black Cats will need to register another win this weekend against Cardiff City to keep momentum going.
After back-to-back defeats for the first time this season, Sunderland had to get a result at Hillsborough to bounce back, and they duly delivered.
A brace from Eliezer Mayenda were enough to seal all three points for Regis Le Bris’ side on the night and keep the Mackems in touch with the top three as we approach the business end of the season.
There are big tactical decisions for Le Bris to make now ahead of the Cardiff clash on Saturday afternoon, but there is also one huge mentality issue he may have to overcome in the build-up, too.
- READ MORE: Early Sunderland predicted XI vs Cardiff City as Regis Le Bris surprisingly excludes ‘in-form’ man
Cardiff City have won the last three games at the Stadium of Light
Looking back through the history books at the recent meetings between these two teams, one team has a clear advantage, and it’s not the Black Cats.
Cardiff have won on their last three trips to the Stadium of Light, and for whatever reason, the Bluebirds obviously have some kind of hold over Sunderland on these away days.
| Sunderland wins vs Cardiff | 24 |
| Sunderland vs Cardiff draws | 17 |
| Cardiff wins vs Sunderland | 29 |
A tight 1-0 win for Cardiff last season completed the hat-trick, which stretches back to 2017, with another 1-0 win in 2022, and a 2-1 victory in the 2017/18 campaign before Sunderland’s relegation.
Interestingly, the opposite is true for Sunderland, though, who have triumphed in Wales on their last three trips to the Cardiff City Stadium.
Overall, throughout history, Cardiff also have 29 wins against Sunderland compared to the Black Cats’ 24, with 17 draws in between.
Can Sunderland end the curse in this weekend’s Championship clash, or will Cardiff go against the odds and secure another victory on Wearside?
Sunderland have to be wary of complacency against struggling teams
This season, Sunderland have largely been punished by teams nearer the bottom of the table, while managing to get good results against the top teams.
It’s this inconsistency and, dare we say it, complacency, that has really cost Sunderland in their pursuit of automatic promotion unfortunately.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  LeedsLeeds | 35 | 22 | 10 | 3 | 72 | 22 | 50 | 76 |
| 2 |  Sheff UtdSheffield Utd | 35 | 23 | 6 | 6 | 50 | 27 | 23 | 73 |
| 3 |  BurnleyBurnley | 35 | 19 | 14 | 2 | 45 | 10 | 35 | 71 |
| 4 |  SunderlandSunderland | 35 | 18 | 11 | 6 | 52 | 32 | 20 | 65 |
| 5 |  CoventryCoventry | 35 | 15 | 8 | 12 | 49 | 44 | 5 | 53 |
| 6 |  West BromWest Brom | 35 | 12 | 16 | 7 | 45 | 32 | 13 | 52 |
The likes of Burnley, Sheffield United, and Leeds United have, more often than not, swept struggling teams aside, while Sunderland, for whatever reason, have dropped points in games you’d firmly expect them to win.
Indeed, Losing to Hull and Stoke in 2025, plus a home draw against Plymouth Argyle are serious blemishes on the Black Cats’ record this season.
If they want to generate enough momentum to get through the play-offs come the end of the season, they simply have to beat Cardiff this weekend, and do the same against the likes of Swansea and Oxford United later on in their run-in.