Sunderland vs AFC Wimbledon Predictions

After something of a slow start, Sunderland have started to build momentum over the last week. They first got the better of Portsmouth in front of a home crowd, while they made it two wins in four days when beating Rochdale on Tuesday night. Now back on their own patch, the Black Cats will be looking for a third win in eight days. AFC Wimbledon continue the search for their first win of the campaign.

It’s been anything but a flamboyant beginning from Jack Ross’ men, though they have seemingly retained the sturdiness that made them so tough to get the better of last term. Against both Portsmouth and Rochdale, Sunderland looked somewhat limited going forward, as they posted expected goals for figures of 0.68 and 1.36, but they did an excellent job of preventing their opponents from playing, surrendering figures of 0.54 and 1.07. It would be beneficial if they can up their levels of creativity as the season goes on, though if they continue to restrict teams, then they’re likely to be in the top-six picture for the second season running.

A repeat of either of their last two efforts would probably be enough for the Black Cats to get the better of a Wimbledon side that once again paid the price for not making enough happen in the final third on Tuesday evening.

It’s been a tough start to the season for Wimbledon, who’ve taken the lead three times this season only to lose on all three occasions. On the face of it, it seems as though the Dons, who’re yet to lose by more than a single goal, have been unlucky, though it’s very tough to argue against any of their defeats. On Tuesday night, despite going a goal to the good, Wimbledon struggled to get going offensively, while they conceded a good amount more than they created. Frankly, an expected goal difference of -1.00 tells us that the Dons’ narrow defeat was warranted.

In the betting ahead of this game, ‘Sunderland to Win & Under 3.5 Goals’ looks a solid option. The hosts haven’t been overly impressive going forward, as an average of 0.98 expected goals for suggests, but they’ve got enough in the tank to get the job done against a Wimbledon side that is currently averaging just 0.51 expected goals for. The fact that Sunderland have given little away on their own patch, surrendering impressive expected goals numbers of just 0.51 and 0.54 also points to a third successive success for Jack Ross’ men.