Sunderland vs Bradford Predictions

When Portsmouth hit a bit of a rocky patch just a few weeks ago, Sunderland looked set to pounce, though the Black Cats failed to move right up behind the current League leaders when they lost on the south coast at the weekend. Things may have been different had Glenn Loovens not been sent off after 46 minutes, though once the veteran defender received his marching orders, Jack Ross’ men were put in their place by a very strong Portsmouth side.

Sunderland remain in a strong position and their push for promotion hasn’t been affected too much by Saturday’s defeat (well, not yet), but they’ve not looked overly menacing in recent weeks. In fact, although they’ve often got the right result and have plenty of individual quality to pull them through, the Black Cats haven’t been as impressive as their pre-season price-tag suggested they would be.

Make no mistake about it, Jack Ross’ men are one of the big boys in this division, and they ought to have more than enough quality to really hurt a side of Bradford’s calibre, though they’ve not exactly given the impression that they’re likely to come through games unscathed in recent times. The Black Cats have conceded at least once in each of their last five league matches (six if you count the game at Crown Ground that was abandoned less than 15 minutes before the death), while the fact that they’ve shipped an average of 1.51 expected goals this season tell us that they’re not exactly the most menacing side defensively. If a low-scoring side such as Bristol Rovers can go to Stadium of Light and get on the score-sheet, then a rejuvenated Bradford forward-line should be making headway.

It’s certainly not been a good season for Wednesday’s visitors; they’ve struggled to get their heads in front, while they’ve often been nothing short of terrible at the back. However, they’ve greatly improved their efforts in the final third of late, as they’ve scored at least once in each of their last three League One matches, as well as in five of their last six, scoring a total of 12 goals during that time. They’ve also upped their creativity as well, as the fact that they’ve accumulated a total 9.48 expected goals for in their last five shows.

Going away and scoring against Sunderland won’t be easy, but the visitors will be buoyed by the fact that sides such as Bristol Rovers, Walsall and Wycombe have found attacking joy against the Black Cats in recent times.

From a betting point of view, it’s easy to feel that ‘Both Teams to Score’ offers a smidgen of value at the current prices. Sunderland have scored in 100% of their home matches this season, while they average a pleasing 1.71 expected goals for at Stadium of Light. Bradford have improved lots in the final third of late, while the hosts haven’t exactly been denying teams for fun in recent times. All in all, backing both to register on the score-sheet at least once each looks worth a punt.