Sunderland vs Bristol City Prediction: Bristol has not lost any championship game in 2023

On Saturday afternoon, Sunderland will welcome Bristol City as they strive to secure their position in the Championship playoff spot. Currently ranked fifth, Sunderland is determined to maintain their standing. On the other hand, Bristol City remains undefeated since the start of the year but is only placed at 16th in the standings.

Sunderland’s Form

Sunderland faces a tough challenge to maintain their top-six position until May, as they will be without Ross Stewart for the rest of the season. Despite this setback, Tony Mowbray's team has managed to secure wins with no goals conceded against Reading and Queens Park Rangers, scoring four goals in total. Although Joe Gelhardt, the Leeds United loanee, hasn't scored any of those goals, Sunderland is still finding ways to win, which is crucial for their surprise promotion hopes. However, Mowbray cannot let his guard down, as the team has not won three consecutive matches in the Championship this season. Even though this may be a possibility this weekend, Sunderland will be facing one of the strongest teams in English football at the moment.

Sunderland’s possible starting lineup

Patterson; Hume, Ballard, Batth, Alese; O'Nien, Michut, Roberts, Diallo, Clarke; Gelhardt

Bristol City’s Form

For quite some time, Bristol City and the concept of consistency have been seldom associated, but Nigel Pearson's team has managed to display it since the start of the year. The Robins have remained undefeated in 10 matches across all competitions, with five victories, five draws, and an advancement to the FA Cup fifth round during that stretch. The recent 1-1 tie against Wigan Athletic was a letdown, though, as Bristol City couldn't sustain their halftime lead and missed out on entering the top half of the standings. Nevertheless, Pearson will likely take solace in the fact that Bristol City is only seven points behind the top six and has a match in hand on Watford, who currently occupy that position when considering the bigger picture.

Bristol City’s predicted lineup

O'Leary; Tanner, Vyner, Atkinson, Pring; James, Williams; Sykes, Scott, Bell; Wells

Sunderland vs Bristol City expert tips

Bristol City has not lost a match since the latter part of December, giving them enough confidence to secure a favourable outcome against most teams in the second tier. Nonetheless, we predict that Sunderland, motivated by their fans' support, will clinch a narrow victory against Bristol City. We foresee a high probability of under 2.5 goals being scored.