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Sunderland will welcome Watford to the Stadium of Light in the EFL Championship on Saturday. The hosts have 16 wins in 30 league games and are in fourth place in the league standings. They trail league leaders Leeds United by eight points. The Hornets have dropped to 12th place in the league table, with 41 points to their name.
The Black Cats extended their unbeaten streak in the league to six games with a 3-2 away win over Middlesbrough in the Tees-Wear derby on Monday. Dan Neil was on the scoresheet in the first half and Wilson Isidor added the second goal after the break. An own goal from Ryan Giles in the 87th minute helped them register a crucial win.
The visitors have seen a drop in form and suffered their third consecutive league defeat last week, as they fell to a 1-0 home loss to Norwich City. Striker Vakoun Issouf Bayo was sent off in the 35th minute and Norwich made the most of their numerical advantage, with Josh Sargent scoring the match-winner six minutes later.
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Sunderland vs Watford Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two teams have crossed paths 48 times in all competitions. The hosts have the upper hand in these meetings with 19 wins. The Hornets are not far behind with 13 wins and 16 games have ended in draws.
- The visitors have won their last two league meetings against the Black Cats, including a 2-1 home win in the reverse fixture in September.
- Sunderland have enjoyed an unbeaten home record in the Championship this season, recording nine wins in 14 games.
- Watford have won just one of their last nine games across all competitions while suffering seven losses. Interestingly, they have scored one goal apiece in eight games during that period.
- No team have played fewer draws (5) in the Championship this season than the visitors.
Sunderland vs Watford Prediction
The Black Cats are unbeaten in their six league games in 2025, recording four wins. They have won three of their last four home games and will look to continue that form here. They have won four of their last six home games in this fixture while keeping three clean sheets and are strong favorites.
Alan Browne is back in full training and is in contention to start from the bench. Niall Huggins is a long-term absentee while Romaine Mundle and Tommy Watson will be back next week.
The Hornets have endured a poor start to 2025, losing six of their eight games. They suffered their third consecutive loss last week and will look to bounce back here. Nonetheless, they have won just one of their last nine away games and might struggle.
Vakoun Bayo was red-carded last week and will serve a three-match ban. Rocco Vata is a doubt as he is recovering from an illness. Kwadwo Baah, Pierre Dwomoh, and Daniel Bachmann are sidelined for head coach Tom Cleverley.
The Black Cats head into the match in great form and, considering their unbeaten home record this season, we back them to register a comfortable win.
Prediction: Sunderland 2-1 Watford
Sunderland vs Watford Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Sunderland to win
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Over 2.5 goals
Tip 3: At least one goal to be scored in the second half - Yes
Tip 4: Both teams to score - Yes
