The action continues in round 37 of the EFL Championship as Southampton and Sunderland square off at the St. Mary’s Stadium on Saturday.
The Black Cats are on a run of five consecutive defeats and will head into the weekend looking to end this dry spell.
Southampton returned to winning ways last Saturday when they edged out Birmingham City 4-3 in a seven-goal thriller at the St Andrew's Stadium.
Prior to that, the Saints were on a three-game losing streak, including a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Liverpool in the FA Cup fifth round on February 28.
With 70 points from 35 matches, Southampton are currently fourth in the Championship table, eight points behind second-placed Ipswich Town in the final automatic promotion spot.
Meanwhile, Sunderland were left empty-handed yet again as they suffered a 1-0 defeat against league leaders Leicester City in midweek.
The Black Cats have now lost five games on the bounce, conceding seven goals and scoring just twice since a 3-1 victory over Plymouth Argyle on February 10.
With 47 points from 36 matches, Sunderland are currently 11th in the league standings, level on points with 12th-placed Middlesbrough.
Southampton vs Sunderland Head-To-Head and Key Numbers
- With 27 wins from the last 69 meetings between the sides, Southampton hold a slight upper hand in the history of this fixture.
- Sunderland have picked up two fewer wins in that time, while the spoils have been shared on 17 occasions.
- Southampton boast the division’s sixth-best points tally on home turf, having picked up 35 points in their 17 matches at the St. Mary’s Stadium.
- Sunderland are without a win in their last six away matches, losing four and claiming two draws since a 1-0 victory at Hull City on Boxing Day.
Southampton vs Sunderland Prediction
Buoyed by their dramatic victory over Birmingham, Southampton will head into the weekend with renewed confidence.
The Saints take on an out-of-sorts Sunderland side who have lost their last five matches and we are backing them to come away with maximum points.
Prediction: Southampton 3-1 Sunderland
Southampton vs Sunderland Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Southampton to win
Tip 2: Over 2.5 goals - Yes (There have been three or more goals scored in seven of Southampton’s last eight games)
Tip 3: Both sides to score - Yes (Both sides have also scored five of the Saints’ last seven outings)