Sunderland are fighting for their lives at the bottom of the Premier League, so is a clash against Southampton the ideal game?
Sunderland may be going into their clash with Southampton off the back of a 4-0 win over relegation rivals Crystal Palace but they are still stuck at the bottom of the Premier League. So is a contest against the Saints the ideal game for the Black Cats?
Jamie Redknapp worried for Swansea, Sunderland and Hull City’s chances of survival
HITC Sport’s James Rutherford and Michael Ramsey seem to think that David Moyes’ men could be able to capitalise on Southampton having other priorities…
Sunderland manager David Moyes
Though Claude Puel’s side are without a win in three and just seven points above the bottom three, it would hardly be a surprise if they temporarily put their league fortunes on the back-burner as they have the EFL Cup final just around the corner, potentially leaving the path clear for Sunderland to secure another positive result.
HITC Sport’s James suggested: “The thing about Sunderland is, they can be great one week and terrible the next week, you don’t know what you’re going to get. But I think this is a good game for them. Have they [Southampton] got one eye on the cup?”
With Virgil van Dijk’s injury potentially leaving Southampton without arguably their most important player for the final, Puel may take an even more cautious approach with his team selection, even with the final more than two weeks away.
Southampton manager Claude Puel
That may give Sunderland an even greater chance of pulling off another excellent result – they secured a goalless draw with Tottenham before the emphatic victory over Palace – as Southampton arguably have enough of a cushion that they can put the league to the back of their minds for one week.
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But can Sunderland really take advantage? To find out the guys’ thoughts in full, as well as their predictions, simply watch the preview at the top of the page…
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