The Stadium of Light hosts Sunderland and Stoke City this Saturday in a big weekend that could see Sunderland close in on the Play-offs or Stoke lift themselves further away from the relegation zone.
Sunderland currently sit tenth in the Championship after 28 games. The Black Cats have 12 wins, four draws and 12 losses, leaving them on 40 points, just three points from Coventry in the final Play-off spot.
In their last five games in all competitions, Sunderland have one win, one draw and three losses.
Samuel Raymond Clucas opened the scoring for Rotherham in the first three minutes of the second half, but Jack Clarke managed to equalise for Sunderland with 15 minutes to go. Despite having 70% of the possession, Sunderland couldn’t find another goal and had to settle for a 1 - 1 draw. However, Sunderland bounced back against Preston. Alex Pritchard and Nazariy Rusyn both scored in the first half to give Sunderland the 2 - 0 win.
In the Third Round of the FA Cup, Sunderland hosted Newcastle in a big Tyne-Wear derby. A Daniel Ballard own goal gave Newcastle the 1 - 0 lead at halftime. Alexander Isak grabbed his first goal in the first minute of the second half and converted a penalty in the last minute for a 3 - 0 win for Newcastle. Clarke opened the scoring for Sunderland against Ipswich, but Kayden Jackson got Ipswich level at halftime. Conor Chaplin grabbed the winner in the second half, giving Ipswich the 2 - 1 win.
The last time out for Sunderland was against Hull City. Fabio Carvalho scored the only goal of the game in the second half to give Hull the 1 - 0 win.
Stoke, on the other hand, currently sit 19th in the Championship. In 28 games, Stoke have eight wins, eight draws and 12 losses which leaves them on 32 points, eight points above the relegation zone.
In their last five games in all competitions, Stoke have one win, two draws and two losses.
Jake Livermore opened the scoring for Watford in the 15th minute, but Ryan Mmaee equalised just before halftime. Despite the red card to Vakoun Issouf Bayo early in the second half, Stoke couldn’t take advantage and settled for a 1 - 1 draw. It was another draw for Stoke against Ipswich, with them with the ten man disadvantage. Jordan Thompson was sent off in the second half, and despite only having 36% of the possession, Stoke held on for a 0 - 0 draw.
In the FA Cup Third Round, Stoke hosted Brighton. A Jan Paul van Hecke own goal gave Stoke the lead, but Pervis Estupinan’s goal in the sixth minute of added time in the first half made it level at halftime. Lewis Dunk then gave Brighton the lead, but a Lewis Baker penalty equalised for Stoke. A late brace from Joao Pedro gave Brighton the 4 - 2 win. Baker’s goal in the first half added time gave Stoke a 1 - 0 win over Rotherham.
The most recent outing for Stoke was against Birmingham City. Jay Stansfield and Juninho Bacuna gave Birmingham the 2 - 0 lead early in the second half, and despite Thompson’s goal, Birmingham held on for the 2 - 1 win.
Sunderland and Stoke is a historic fixture, happening on 153 occasions, with the first meeting coming back in 1891. Sunderland have the better record in the fixture with 66 wins in comparison to Stoke’s 49 wins, with the other 38 games ending in a draw.