Kick-off: 1230, 26/12/2022
Stadium: Stadium of Light
TV: Sky Sports
Sunderland versus Blackburn should be a close contest on paper, with the Black Cats eight points adrift in the Championship table but buoyed by home advantage.
However, it is hard to go for a draw, as Rovers have gone a record-breaking 23 league games without sharing the spoils this season.
That points us towards taking 6/5 for either team to win by one goal for our first Sunderland vs Blackburn prediction.
Sunderland Odds
Sunderland were beaten 2-0 when these teams met at Ewood Park in mid-October but that was a pretty even encounter, with Blackburn just being more clinical in front of goal.
Tony Mowbray’s men have since suffered mixed fortunes, posting three wins, the same number of defeats and two draws from eight subsequent outings.
The Black Cats battled bravely to secure a 1-1 stalemate at Hull last time out, when having midfielder Elliot Embleton sent off on the hour mark.
Ross Stewart still managed to put Sunderland in front on 74 minutes but Ozan Tufan equalised for the Tigers late on.
“Obviously, with 10 men it was very, very difficult, but credit to the team that we came away with a point,” said Mowbray.
“They’re disappointed in the dressing room but they shouldn’t be, we were playing against a team on the up and a team with a lot of confidence.”
Twice-capped Scotland international Stewart made a successful return from over three months out through injury and has been linked with a January move to Rangers.
Looking at the Sunderland vs Blackburn odds, the 26-year-old is 2/1 to put himself in the shop window by scoring again here.
Blackburn Rovers Odds
Blackburn lost Lancashire derbies against Burnley and Preston either side of the World Cup break but bounced back by winning 2-0 at Norwich to go third.
There was more than just a hint of good fortune about Ben Gibson’s early own goal and a deflected shot from Tyrhys Dolan in the closing stages.
Even so, manager Jon Dahl Tomasson declared: “It is a great result against a strong team with Premier League quality and I also thought it was a very good performance.
“We have a young squad compared with many in this league, and with that comes inconsistency, but we have stuck to our game plan very well.
“It is very pleasing to be where we are in the table and I am very proud of the lads.”
Tomasson made 11 changes for Wednesday’s 4-1 EFL Cup loss to Nottingham Forest, so we won’t read too much into that.
One stat which will interest Rovers fans is that no team has conceded more late goals than Sunderland in the Championship this season.
Let’s add 6/5 for the visitors to score last to our Sunderland vs Blackburn betting tips, along with 10/1 for a 2-1 away win for those seeking a bigger pay-out.
Additional stats
Last result:
Hull 1-1 SUNDERLAND – Ross Stewart
BLACKBURN 1-4 Nottingham Forest – Scott Wharton
Head-to-head: Blackburn 2-0 Sunderland
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