Blackburn v Sunderland Tip

With the way Blackburn have struggled almost all season and the way Sunderland have improved under Martin O’Neill, some will have this down as an away banker. But I think Blackburn can take advantage of coming into this clash fresh, and claim three vital points in their relegation battle. The home win is available at best odds of 6/4 with WilliamHill.

While Rovers have had their feet up since their crucial 2-0 victory at Molineux on 10 March, Sunderland were put through the ringer in their FA Cup quarter final at Goodison Park on Saturday. The Mackems claimed an excellent 1-1 draw, but only after surviving a real onslaught for a better part of an hour. It would be amazing for them to come out with the same level of vigour just three days later, in a game that frankly they can afford to lose.

Martin O’Neill will of course want his side to be professional, but the fact is that Sunderland have lost three of their four league games that have followed FA Cup ties since he took over. They have only kept one clean sheet in their last nine away league outings; they face a side who surprisingly have scored more goals than anyone outside of the top six.

The Black Cats will again be without the suspended pair of Stephane Sessegnon and captain Lee Catermore, while Kieran Richardson is expected to miss out with a calf injury. In contrast, Steve Kean will have a virtually fully fit squad to choose from. Buoyed by their first clean sheet of the season at Wolves, this is a great opportunity for the Lancashire side to start pulling away from the relegation zone.