Premier League preview and odds: Sunderland vs Liverpool

Published on: 02/01/2017

Premier League preview and odds: Sunderland vs Liverpool

January 02, 2016 15:00pm - Stadium of Light

Referee: A. Taylor

Premier League

After a miserable festive period which saw them lose twice, conceding seven goals in the process, Sunderland will look to bounce back with a positive result against second-ranked Liverpool at the Stadium of Light on holiday Monday. The visitors themselves will be looking to extend their winning streak to five games.

Four defeats in last five for Sunderland

Sunderland may have lost four of their last five Premier League matches overall but on home soil, their record makes much better reading. The Black Cats have won three of their last four at the Stadium of Light, with their only defeat coming against top of the table Chelsea.

David Moyes` men have scored over 80% of their goals in the second half of matches and have conceded the first goal in 14 of their 19 games. However, they have only conceded twice in their last four home games.

Meanwhile, opponents Liverpool will arrive in the northeast full of confidence after winning their last four matches in a row including headline victories away to Everton and at home to Manchester City. Their achievements were further boosted by the fact that they only conceded one goal during that period.

Klopp`s men have been beaten just once in their last 17 Premier League matches and remain the closest challengers to league leaders Chelsea. In addition, they have accumulated their biggest half-season point`s haul in the history of the Premier League.

Team news

The home side still have a significant list of absentees with Jason Denayer (hamstring), Victor Anichebe (hamstring), Lamine Kone (hip), Jordan Pickford (ACL strain), Jan Kirchhoff (cartilage), Duncan Watmore (ACL), Lynden Gooch (ankle), Paddy McNair (knee) and Lee Cattermole (hip) all out injured. To add to their woes Billy Jones is suspended.

Meanwhile, Jordan Henderson has a heel issue and could join Philippe Countinho (ankle), Danny Ings (meniscus) and Joe Gomez (Achilles) in the treatment room, while Marko Grujic remains a doubt after suffering from a tendon injury.

Recent form (League):

Sunderland: LLWLL

Liverpool: WWWWD

Betting odds and tips

Liverpool have tightened up at the back and should not have too much trouble holding off a team that is likely to create a limited amount of goal-scoring opportunities. The Reds have kept clean sheets in three of their last four away games and remain the league`s top goal scorers.

You can back Liverpool in the Win to Nil market at 6/5 with Bet365.

By Neil Morris

Published on: 02/01/2017

Any odds displayed within this preview were correct at the time of publishing (02/01/2017 09:54:27) but are subject to change.