Stoke City v Sunderland
Football: English Premier League
Saturday 4 February 2012 - Kick Off 3pm

---

Stoke City

The Stoke City fans will be glad to get a chance to see their team playing at the Brittania Stadium after a run of games which has seen them play 9 of their last 11 games in all competitions away from the comfort of home. They have already had a long season with participation in the Europa League and it will be interesting to see how Tony Pulis deals with tired legs down the stretch.

The team are 9th in the Premier League as they have become an established part of the top flight fabric and they have gained 30 points so far this season. A win here would actually see them leapfrog their opponents and move up to 8th, but they will need to be a little more solid here where they are 4-4-3 this season, scoring 15 goals but conceding 13.

Stoke have failed to win any of their last 3 Premier League games and they come in off back to back defeats, although they have won a couple of FA Cup games around this time. The Potters have not been in the best form in the League, winning just 1 of their last 7 games since the middle of December. Stoke have failed to win any of their last 3 home League games since a fortunate win over Tottenham Hotspur, and were beaten 1-2 by West Brom in their last appearance here.

Danny Higginbotham has been sent to Nottingham Forest on loan for the rest of the season, but there is a clear squad for Tony Pulis to pick from for this game.

Sunderland

You can't help but be impressed with the job Martin O'Neill has done at Sunderland since he came through the doors at the Stadium of Light, with their current form in the League meaning they would be 3rd in the table if the League had started from scratch as soon as he took over as manager. The team is playing with a confidence that was seldom seen under Steve Bruce in the last days of his managerial time here, and all credit has to be given to O'Neill.

At one stage, Sunderland were considered as a potential 'dark horse' for relegation as they seemed to be slipping down the table and did not seem capable of getting a positive result. That has all changed in recent weeks and they are flying as high as 8th in the table with fans looking at a top half finish. They are 3-2-6 away from home this season, scoring 13 goals and conceding 13.

The Black Cats have only been beaten twice in 11 games under O'Neill, one of those at Tottenham Hotspur and the other in unfortunate circumstances at Chelsea. They have won 4 of their last 5 Premier League games, including an impressive 3-0 dispatching of Norwich City on Wednesday night. Sunderland had won 3 consecutive away games in all competitions before losing at Stamford Bridge in their last one.

Wes Brown and Lee Cattermole are going to need late fitness tests if they are to return to the side having missed the game with Norwich. Nicolas Bendtner and David Vaughan are still absent, while Frazier Campbell could continue up front having scored a goal in each of his last 2 appearances.

Head to Head

Sunderland hammered Stoke City 4-0 at the Stadium of Light earlier this season, although that did come just a few days after Stoke had played in the Europa League, an issue they have struggled with.

Stoke have a strong record here against the Black Cats, winning the last 4 League games at the Brittania Stadium including a 3-2 win last season.

However, it has to be said they were fortunate to pick up the 3 points in that game having scored twice in the last 7 minutes to overturn a 1-2 deficit.

Prediction

I will admit that I thought Sunderland's mini-revival may have been halted by a disappointing home draw with Middlesbrough in the FA Cup last weekend, but they played brilliantly in beating Norwich on Wednesday night and remain one of the form teams in the League, picking up as many points as Tottenham since Martin O'Neill arrived at the club.

While their away record is not brilliant, they have proven themselves hard to beat all season, while winning 2 of their 3 games since O'Neill took charge. Close losses at Tottenham and Chelsea, the latter where they deserved a point at least, has given these players a lot of confidence in their ability.

Stoke, on the other hand, have not been in the best form and have looked a little tired with the squad being stretched by the Europa League participation this season. While they haven't played too many games at home recently, they have failed to win in 3 here and 1 win in 7 is not the kind of form that will get it done against Sunderland at the moment.

This would normally have been a game that Stoke would have circled as one they need to win at home to ensure survival, but I think the current form of both sides means a point is likely to be a good result for the home team, one that will keep them marching forward to confirming survival in the League.

I did consider picking the draw as my pick for this game, but Sunderland have been playing very well at the moment and I want to at least keep them on my side so will pick them to avoid defeat instead at odds against.

The Statistics :

The Pick :

Stoke City 1-1 Sunderland

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

I'll pick Sunderland +0.25 Asian Handicap @ 2.00