Posted on March 23 2011 by Caitlin Carver

Premiership: Sunderland V Liverpool – Sunday, 20th March

 

Sunderland V Liverpool

Date & Kick-Off: Sunday, 20th March – 13:30 (GMT) Venue: Stadium of Light TV Coverage: Sky Sports HD1

How could anyone possibly forget the last time these two teams met in the Premier League? Sunderland were 1-0 winners and didn’t just have the prolific Darren Bent, who has since moved to pastures new with Aston Villa, to thank but also a Liverpool beach ball for handing the Wearsiders only their second ever Premier League victory over the Reds.

Previously, before a beach ball came to their rescue, Sunderland had gone six games without a win over Liverpool, all six were in fact defeats0. So the win was much-needed, while it may have also had a catalystic affect as earlier in the season they drew 2-2 at Anfield in a match they probably ought to have won.

Separated by just four points in the table, securing Europa League football (top-five finish) remains the target for both clubs. Sunderland have shot themselves in the foot to be honest, as they were well ahead of the Reds at Christmas but now trail Kenny Dalglish’s side after a drastic sequence of results which has seen the Black Cats go their last five league games without a win – four were defeats – whereas Liverpool have only lost one of their previous eight in the league, six of those were momentum-building wins.

On the topic of momentum, Liverpool’s was blown to pieces during the week as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Portuguese side Braga at Anfield on Thursday as Kenny Dalglish’s men were agonishingly eliminated from the Europa League 1-0 on aggregate, leaving supporters with that sick feeling of knowing a fifth season in a row will pass them by without a single piece of silverware entering their trophy cabinet.

Can Sunderland take full advantage of the Reds’ recent misfortune in Europe or will Liverpool respond in the best possible manner by dispatching of Steve Bruce’s out of sorts side at a venue where they’ve won on six of their nine Premiership visits?

Sunderland

Steve Bruce will have been thankful that his team were handed a two-week break from league commitments as Sunderland were in need of a break following a retchid spell of results. The frustration being that should they ground out a potentially season-turning result at the weekend at home to Liverpool, whom they beat 1-0 during the previous term, they would be stopped right in their tracks as another two-week break from domestic affairs looms large.

International will take centre stage over the forthcoming fortnight and although Sunderland will be stopped in their tracks should they add to Liverpool’s woes with a winning performance on Sunday, it would nevertheless be the perfect way to head into another lengthy time-out. It would also end a dismal run of five league games without a win, the Black Cats closing in on two whole months without winning a game of football. Heck, they may have even forget how to win.

In two of the previous three encounters with Liverpool, Sunderland have caused problems from an offensive point of view. They won last season’s corresponding fixture 1-0 while they earned a thoroughly deserved 2-2 draw at Anfield back in September, two results which ought to stand them in good stead. However, on both occasions they had the lethal striking services of Darren Bent, who was their top scorer last season and was again leading the charts this season, and with Sunderland drawing a blank in their last two league fixtures, it remains to be seen whether they can cause the same problems without a player who clearly has the better of a Liverpool back-line.

To be fair, Sunderland’s recent failure to find the back of the net has derived from two away encounters with two tricky opponents. Steve Bruce’s men are a different kettle of fish at home, when inside what should be a capacity Stadium of Light for Sunday’s live encounter on Sky Sports 1 and HD1. Saying that, they have recently suffered back-to-back defeats on Wearside, shipping six goals in the process as they went down first to Chelsea (2-4) before later to Tottenham (1-2). So worrying times at the minute for the Black Cats as another promising season threatens to petter out.

 

Liverpool

Barely days after they were dumped out of the UEFA Europa League with a whimper, Liverpool are back in action aiming to qualify for the exact same competition they really couldn’t care less about. So who order the dish of irony?

While the players clearly didn’t enjoy what Europe’s second tier competition had to offer as much as Kenny Dalglish, the Liverpool manager has nonetheless laid down the gauntlet for his team: to qualify for next season’s edition of the Europa League. I’m sure supporters will be chuffed to bits with that; yet more needless matches with average European outfits in far-out destinations.

In fairness, I understand fully where Dalglish is coming. Liverpool and Europe are synonymous, so spending the next term without any European commitments would seem a catastrophe. It won’t though, it would probably be a blessing in disguise as it would mean more time spent focusing on the league, which is exactly where they have fared miserably this season.

At current, the Reds are sat in sixth-place, a disconcerting nine-points adrift of fourth-placed Chelsea and an alarming 18 off leaders and arch rivals Man Utd. Perhaps now that there are no distractions we will begin to see some consistency, and by that I mean Liverpool winning matches away from home and not just at Anfield. Only three teams – Bolton, Chelsea and Wolves – have succumbed to defeat at home to Liverpool this season, the Merseyside-outfit posting a nasty-looking away record: W3 D2 L9.

In a bold attempt to put a positive spin on things, and to try and cover up their feeble display in midweek as they failed to score even one goal against a side Arsenal put five past during a Champions League game at the Emirates earlier in the season, Liverpool have been enjoying an upturn in league form, winning six and losing just one of their last eight, while they were impressive 3-1 winners at home to Manchester United last time out.

A repeat performance to the one which saw them dismantle United would make Dalglish’s men mighty difficult to beat, especially if Luis Suarez is on-song like he was a fortnight ago. The Uruguayuan will also be fresher than most as he was ineligible to face Braga during the week, so that’s a bonus, although Steven Gerrard will once again sit this one out as he continues his recovery from a persistent groin problem. Considering Liverpool were deprived of any creative spark of forward thrust in midweek, the captain’s absence could be pivotal.

 

Match Prediction: Draw – 3.30 SkyBet

Sunderland manager Steve Bruce is hopeful of having combative midfielder Lee Cattermole fit for Sunday; Craig Gordon and Nedum Onouha should also recover in time.

Liverpool, meanwhile, will have to do without their talisman as Steven Gerrard continues his recovery from a groin injury. Fabio Aurelio, Martin Kelly and Jonjo Shelvey are all long-term absentees, although Kenny Dalglish could welcome back Daniel Agger from injury while Luis Suarez will spearhead the attack aiming to score his first goal for the club (his one against Stoke City is likely to be chalked off by the dubious goals panel).

In general, Liverpool have a fantastic record when it comes to playing Sunderland in the Premier League, having won six and lost only won of their nine matches at the Stadium of Light. Away from home, though, the Reds have been woeful to say the least, an enigma in many ways considering they beat Chelsea 1-0 at Stamford Bridge but lost handsomely to West Ham at Upton Park last month. On their day, with everyone fit and when their key players are in peak physical shape and in tip-top form, they are a handful, make no mistake about, but they often require an awful lot to fall their way and are far too unreliable to be sticking hard-earned money on, especially after Thursday’s disappointment, and so narrow preference would be for the draw.

Value Bet: 0-0 Draw (Correct Score) – 9.00 Totesport

Sunderland lack the same threat which Darren Bent gave them despite club-record signing Asamoah Gyan starting up front, while Liverpool will be both exhausted and deflated following Thursday’s exertions. This may not be a rip-roaring contest, as this fixture rarely is, although there has never been a 0-0 draw between the two on Wearside. I’m willing to stick a few shillings on that no longer being the case come tea-time Sunday.

Match Odds:

Sunderland – 2.75 VictorChandler Draw – 3.30 SkyBet Liverpool – 2.80 BetFred


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