English Premier
2012-04-14 - Sunderland vs Wolves
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Saturday 14 April 2012 - Kick Off 3pm
Sunderland
Martin O'Neill was rightly embarrassed by his Sunderland side's performance as they were thumped 4-0 by a much changed Everton side and he has made it clear that he will not allow his players to mail it in during the final 5 games of the Premier League season.
The Black Cats are 11th in the Premier League but O'Neill will expect them to push on and try and finish in the top half of the table, a real possibility with only 5 points separating them from 7th placed Everton. Sunderland have a solid 7-5-4 record at the Stadium of Light this season, scoring 24 goals and conceding 14.
They have now won just 1 of their last 7 games in all competitions, and have failed to win any of their last 4 including a FA Cup exit to Everton at home. Sunderland have failed to score in 3 of their last 4 games in all competitions, including their last 2 at home. They have lost just 1 of their last 9 Premier League games at home, winning 6 of those games.
Nicolas Bendtner is hoping to return to the squad for this game, as are John O'Shea and Frazier Campbell.
Wolves
Wolves' 0-3 home loss to Arsenal during the week, coupled with wins for Wigan Athletic and QPR, has all but ended this teams time in the Premier League, but Terry Connor has urged his side to find their pride over the last 5 games of the season.
They are bottom of the Premier League table and are now 9 points behind the teams in the final positions of safety with a vastly inferior goal difference. The team have gained just as many points on their travels as they have at Molineux this season, going 2-5-9 in their away games, scoring 15 goals and conceding 32.
What can you say about the form of a side that has now lost 7 straight Premier League games and 8 of their last 9? They have conceded at least 2 goals in each of their last 9 games in the League. Wolves have lost their last 3 away games since a 2-2 draw at Newcastle United and they had been unbeaten in 5 away games in the League before these latest defeats.
Sebastien Bassong is out through suspension, while David Edwards needs a late fitness test ahead of the fixture.
Head to Head
One of Wolves' last bits of success this season came in a come from behind 2-1 win over Sunderland at Molineux.
That actually means Wolves have won the last 4 games against Sunderland in the Premier League including a 1-3 win here towards the end of last season.
Sunderland had won their previous 4 games at home against Wolves before that loss last season.
Prediction
Wolves have been absolutely horrible in recent games in the Premier League, although I will say their worst performances have been reserved for their home games and I just have this nagging feeling that Sunderland, who were awful themselves in a 4-0 loss at Everton, are remarkably short to win this game.
The Black Cats have been very good at home under Martin O'Neill and I expect he will have them fired up despite having nothing to play for this season. However, their lack of goals in recent games has to be a concern, particularly if Nicolas Bendtner is not fit to take part.
Wolves have actually scored first in their last two away games at Norwich City and Stoke City, but have fallen apart as they have failed to push home their advantage. That makes me think that could be the best angle to play this game as there is every chance they can take advantage of a lacklustre Sunderland to start off, only to fail to win the game once O'Neill gets into his troops.
It is priced at 5.00 that Wolves are leading in this game but fail to win at Ladbrokes, and that looks like it has every opportunity considering Wolves had scored first in 3 straight games before the 0-3 loss to Arsenal.
The Pick :
Sunderland 1-1 Wolves
