Sunderland v Man City Tip

Nobody gives Sunderland a prayer against big-spending Manchester City despite the fact that the Black Cats have won this fixture three years in a row at the Stadium of Light.

Of course, the Mackems have toiled in 2013-14 and that’s why the away victory is nothing longer than 4/9 (WilliamHill). Those odds aren’t terribly appealing but the 2/1 (StanJames) on City to win with both teams to score looks much smarter.

The reasons to think the hosts will get on the scoresheet are twofold. Firstly, Gus Poyet is already making a difference having secured a pair of 2-1 home victories since his arrival. The latter win may have come in the League Cup but it will still have helped morale, and the more significant memory of defeating rivals Newcastle is still fresh anyway.

Secondly, City have only won one of their five away league games so far this season and evidently struggle for clean sheets without Vincent Kompany on their travels. The likes of Steven Fletcher and Adam Johnson can certainly cause problems here even if the favourites should prevail.