A slumping Sunderland will travel to Wales, where Cardiff City still hope to keep themselves in the playoff hunt. Week 39 match will begin on March 29, at 4 PM CET.
Cardiff City
Unable to stay in the Premier League for longer than a season, the Bluebirds from Cardiff City would be ecstatic to return to the topflight this year, even though there is a long road ahead.
Before losing in a Welsh derby to Swansea City two weeks ago, Cardiff looked to be on pace to catch the likes of Hull City and Norwich City, but now, eight points behind sixth place with only eight games remaining, it might be too steep of a hill to climb. However, with a relegation zone being as far as it is right now, the team can play without additional pressure and focus on the 90 minutes ahead of them.
Sunderland
Sunderland and its feisty defense looked to be on track for a possible topflight promotion, the first since 2017, but then everything has crumbled for the Black Cats, as if all the superstitions decided to fight back.
The squad from Tyne and Wear lost six in a row before earning a point in a scoreless draw against Queens Park Rangers two weeks ago. Four scored goals, two of which came in a “2-4” defeat at Southampton and only one point in 1.5 months dropped Sunderland closer to the relegation zone than to the playoffs. The Cats should still be safe, but a possible victory during the upcoming long trip to Wales could ease the pressure by a considerable margin.
Prediction ⚽️
Cardiff City managed to win “1-0” at The Stadium of Light back in September, but teams traded blows after Sunderland’s comeback to the EFL Championship in 2022.
Despite a loss to Swansea City, the Bluebirds still look like a favorite, even if sportsbooks mostly see this clash as a coin toss. We will side with the hosts earning three points in Wales with the hefty 2.65 odds 🔥.