Sunderland, fresh of five consecutive defeats, will visit St.Mary’s Stadium, as Southampton looks to stay in the race for the direct EPL promotion. Week 37 match will begin on Saturday, March 9, at 4pm CET.
Southampton
Still looking for an instant return to the Premier League after spending twelve straight seasons in the top flight, Southampton is currently in fourth place, eight points and an extra game away from the coveted second
Surviving in a thriller against Birmingham City gave the Saints the chance of staying in touch with the leaders, as now they will try and avenge a humbling defeat to the Black Cats in September.
Sunderland
While a month ago Sunderland was a dark horse to return to the Premier League for the first time since 2017, in the beginning of March things got much more complicated than fighting for the top-6 finish.
Five one-goal losses in a row sent the team from Tyne and Wear tumbling down the standings. Despite possessing one of the best defensive units in the league, Sunderland’s offense scored only twice during that stretch - a far cry from a “5-0” trouncing of Southampton in the first round.
Prediction ⚽️
While the first round skirmish ended up in an awful loss, Southampton still possessed the ball for nearly 70% of the time, but could not keep up with Sunderland converting nearly all of its chances.
With a long trip down south, it will be hard for the Black Cats to regroup after a loss to Leicester City on Tuesday. However, they are more than capable of keeping things close, as we will opt into Sunderland covering a (+1) spread with 2.17 odds 🔥.