Sunderland vs Watford Prediction, Preview, Predicted Lineups and Team News | EFL Championship, February 8, 2025

Sunderland vs Watford Preview

• Competition: EFL Championship
• Date: Saturday, February 8
• Time: 12:30 PM GMT
• Venue: Stadium of Light

Sunderland vs Watford will take place at Stadium of Light in the EFL Championship on February 8. The fourth-placed team will host the 12th-placed team on Saturday afternoon.

Promotion-chasing Sunderland has the home advantage on Saturday when they welcome mid-table Watford to the Stadium of Light for one of two early kick-offs in the EFL Championship. Both teams have a good history in English football and have faced each other multiple times in the past, even though Sunderland does have a better record against them they did lose two back-to-back games against them in the last two fixtures. This season without a doubt Sunderland are the better team and will look to take revenge for the last two defeats.

In 30 games, they have won 16 games, drawn 10 and lost four games. The Black Cats have dropped points a lot this season and will need to work on defence to get more positive results. In the last five games, they have won two, drawn two and lost one game. They did lose a close game against Stoke City by 1-2. Watford will not be an easy team to bet on despite their form and the home team will have to be at their best to get the win.

On the other hand, the Hornets are struggling a bit this season due to their inconsistency but they are sitting at the midtable and will look to turn around their situation in the upcoming fixtures. Individual mistakes have cost them a lot this season, in the last fixture the red card played a key role as they lost the game against Norwich. Facing Sunderland away from home will not be an easy task for sure but the Hornets will be confident of getting at least a point from this fixture.

In 30 games, they have won 12 games, drawn five and lost 13 games. With 41 points on the board, they are in the 12th spot in the table. If they get back-to-back good results they can easily go up on the table. Injuries have also created some issues for the coaching staff but still, they have players on the bench who can help the team to get results. This will be a mouthwatering clash for sure.

On that note let’s take a look at Sunderland vs Watford team news:

Sunderland Team News

The home team will miss some key players due to injuries. Ajibola Alese, Niall Huggins, Romaine Mundle, and Alan Browne are all sidelined. The rest of the players are fit to play.

Watford Team News

Vakoun Bayo will be suspended for this upcoming game, Kwadwo Baah, Pirre Dwomoh and Daniel Bachmann are all expected to miss the trip to North East due to injury.

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Sunderland vs Watford Predicted Lineups

Sunderland Predicted Lineup (4-2-3-1):

Goalkeeper: Anthony Patterson

Defenders: Trai Hume, Chris Mepham, Luke O’Niel (C), Dennis Cirkin

Midfielders: Dan Neil, Jobe Bellingham

Forwards: Patrick Roberts, Chris Rigg, Enzo Lo Fee, Wilson Isidor

Watford Predicted Lineup (4-2-3-1):

Goalkeeper: Jonathan Bond

Defenders: Ryan Andrews, James Abankwah, Mattie Pollock, Yasser Laouci

Midfielders: Imran Louza, Tom Dele-Bashiru

Forwards: Moussa Sissoko, Edo Kayembe, Giorgi Chakvetadze, Tom Ince

Sunderland vs Watford Head-to-Head Record

Both teams have faced each other 48 times, Sunderland won 19 games, 16 ended in stalemate and Watford won 13 games. In the last five games, Sunderland won one game, two ended in a draw and Watford won two games.

Key Players to Watch in Sunderland vs Watford

Jobe Bellingham (Sunderland)

He is a versatile player who can play in multiple roles such as box-to-box midfielder, roaming playmaker and advanced playmaker. The youngster can also play on the wings due to his pace and dribbling skills. Jobe knows how to dictate tempo using his good vision, passing ability at all distances, and natural technique to create dynamism in the team’s buildup process.

He is equally useful in combinational and counterattacking styles. He is very comfortable on the ball, with a willingness to play and receive passes along the ground.

In 27 games, he has scored four goals and provided three assists. In the last five games, he made seven blocks and had 14 shot-creating actions. Out of 10 take-ons which he attempted six were successful. In this season he has played 2397 minutes of football.

Edo Kayembe (Watford)

The Congolese international is known for his physical playing style as he likes to physically dominate his opponents on the field. Due to his rough style of play, he does face some criticism but still, his value in the team is huge. His teammates and coaching staff do value him a lot as he is someone who contributes equally in attack as well as in defence. He has been part of the Watford side for the past two seasons and consistently performs well for the team.

In 29 games, he has scored seven goals and has played 1977 minutes this season. In the last five games, he has taken six shots out of which only one was on target, he made two interceptions and five crucial blocks in those games. He also generated 0.6xG in the last five fixtures and created six shot creating actions.

Sunderland vs Watford Prediction

The home team are the favourites to win this fixture. Watford are not in good form and are not able to get positive results. Even though they do have players who can create trouble for the home side but overall Sunderland are a much better team quality-wise. Most probably the home team will this fixture and will get all three points.

Predicted Score: Sunderland 2-1 Watford

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