Sunderland vs Leeds Predictions

• Sunderland are winless in their last five Premier League games
• Five of the Black Cats’ last six league games have gone under 2.5 goals
• Leeds have drawn four of their seven league fixtures this season
• Timur Tutierov scored his first Sunderland goal against Lech Poznan on Thursday

Black Cats lacking luck in front of goal

Sunderland head into Sunday’s home clash with Leeds propping up the Premier League table and seeking to end a run of four successive top-flight defeats.

The Black Cats have found goals hard to come by, failing to net in three of those four defeats and their profligacy in front of goal came to a head once again at Lech Poznan in the Europa League during the week.

Regis Le Bris’s side took the lead early in that game but were made to rue missing plenty of opportunities as their Polish hosts equalised in the second half to end Sunderland’s perfect start in that competition.

That 1-1 draw means eight of Sunderland’s last 10 games in all competitions – and five of their last six in the Premier League – have all featured fewer than three goals.

Leeds hard to beat

Leeds have been praised for their start to the season and they have certainly been hard to beat, losing once in seven league games, but they have also picked up just two top-flight wins.

Two of the Whites’ last three games have gone under 2.5 goals – both were drawn – and they have built much of their early-season resilience on a strong defence, as heading into the weekend only Arsenal and Brighton had conceded fewer goals than their total of six.

Scoring more goals will be the aim for boss Daniel Farke, but the possible absence of three-goal top scorer Dominic Calvert-Lewin for this game due to a foot injury may curtail those hopes at the Stadium of Light.

Tutierov to step up once again

Calvert-Lewin’s potential absence would be a blow to Leeds’ attacking hopes, while Sunderland’s leading scorer, Brian Brobbey, is set to return after a month out with a hamstring injury, but will likely be limited to a role from the bench.

The potential doubts surrounding those two only increase the likelihood that goals will be at a premium, with both of last season’s meetings producing just three goals combined, including a 1-1 draw at the Stadium of Light in December.

Timur Tutierov has been leading the line for Sunderland in the absence of Brobbey and fellow forward Wilson Isidor and the youngster grabbed his first Black Cats goal in the week.

With confidence high and a place in the starting line-up likely to be retained, Tutierov can make a memorable week even better by scoring his first Premier League goal.