Rotherham United vs Sunderland Prediction: Both earned narrow victory on boxing day

Rotherham United will welcome Sunderland at New York Stadium in Game Week 25 of the English Championship. Both teams earned a narrow victory on boxing day. Who will come out on top after 90 minutes?

The away fans and even the loyal supporters of Rotherham may still be wondering how their team managed to win against Middlesbrough at the New York Stadium. Middlesbrough had more scoring opportunities, but Rotherham hit the woodwork twice and scored a lucky goal from Cohen Bramall, whose intended cross ended up finding the net. Bramall admitted that a bounce helped him, but Rotherham's head coach Leam Richardson was not concerned with the manner of the goal; he was just happy to secure his first win as Rotherham boss after three consecutive defeats. This victory ended Rotherham's 11-game winless run since October 25. Meanwhile, their relegation rivals, Sheffield Wednesday and Queens Park Rangers, both suffered losses. Despite the win, Rotherham remains at the bottom of the league table, nine points behind 21st-placed Huddersfield Town. Rotherham now has 16 points for the season, with the majority of those points gained at the New York Stadium. They hope to win consecutive Championship matches for the first time since October 2022, but they have not been successful in their final game of the year since 2019.

Johansson; Lembikisa, Morrison, Revan, Odoffin, Bramall; Tiehi, Lindsay; Rathbone; Nombe, Hugill

Michael Beale's first game in charge of Sunderland was a disappointing 3-0 loss to Coventry City at home. However, in his second game, the 43-year-old led the team to a victory against Hull City, with Jack Clarke scoring the winning goal in the 82nd minute. This win was important for Sunderland as they are fighting for a playoff spot and currently hold onto sixth place by a narrow margin. Hull City, Bristol City, and Preston North End are all in close proximity to Sunderland in the standings. The victory over Hull also ended Sunderland's six-game winless streak away from home. Interestingly, Sunderland's previous unbeaten streak away from home was broken by Rotherham in February, but they later avenged the loss with a win in August. Jobe Bellingham, who has caught the attention of Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham during the La Liga break, scored a double in that match.

Patterson; Seelt, O'Nien, Ballard, Hume; Ekwah, Neil; Roberts, Bellingham, Clarke; Aouchiche

Rotherham was fortunate in their match against Middlesbrough, but it is important to acknowledge their strong defensive efforts. Similarly, Sunderland did not dominate against Hull. The unfortunate injury to Dack was unexpected for the Black Cats. Considering these factors, it is unlikely that there will be a high-scoring game at the New York Stadium. However, we still anticipate Beale to secure another victory and remind Rotherham of the challenges they face.