Mark Lawrenson is backing Liverpool to beat Sunderland 2-0 this afternoon.
Pundit Mark Lawrenson has told BBC Sport that he thinks Liverpool will beat Sunderland 2-0 at the Stadium of Light this afternoon.
Hosts Sunderland head into the game having been beaten 4-1 at Burnley on Saturday afternoon, with David Moyes’ side turning in a dismal performance at Turf Moor.
It’s now four defeats in the last five games for the Black Cats, who remain in the bottom three, but with Crystal Palace losing 2-0 at Arsenal on Sunday, they still lie two points adrift of safety.
Sunderland’s Stadium of Light
Today, Sunderland face a daunting task as they host Liverpool at the Stadium of Light, with the title-challenging Reds expected to coast past the struggling Black Cats.
Liverpool beat Manchester City 1-0 in a top four clash on Saturday evening, with Georginio Wijnaldum’s header sealing another win for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
It’s now four Premier League wins in a row for Liverpool, but with Chelsea continuing their winning run, Klopp’s men remain six points off top spot.
Mark Lawrenson
Ahead of this afternoon’s game, former Liverpool defender and current pundit Mark Lawrenson has told BBC Sport that he thinks the Reds will claim a 2-0 win on Wearside.
Lawrenson suggested that Sunderland are ‘running out of players’ after a number of injuries, and whilst they will be hard to beat, he thinks Liverpool will have too much – and also thinks that Klopp has enough quality at his disposal to deal with Sadio Mane’s commitments at the Africa Cup of Nations.
“Manager David Moyes said himself that Sunderland were “dire” at Burnley,” said Lawrenson. “There is no doubt they were, but you also have to say they are running out of players. Apart from Jermain Defoe, many of their best players are injured. The Sunderland public realise what the problems are, and a lot of them are not to do with Moyes. They will set up to be hard to beat and probably will be, but Liverpool will have too much.”
“This will be Sadio Mane’s last game for the Reds before the Africa Cup of Nations but they have enough players to come in and fill the gap for the month of January,” he added.
What’s your prediction for Sunderland v Liverpool?
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