26th Oct 2012 | Football
Stoke v Sunderland Tip
Both these sides draw twice as many games as the odds suggest so the value is self-evident.
The bookies make Stoke surprisingly heavy favourites (21/20 WilliamHill) to win this one simply because of home advantage. Sunderland did the double over the Potters last season, they were in fact the last visitors to win a league game at the Britannia Stadium, which makes the 16/5 (Bet365) available on the away win tempting. However, I’d kick myself if I didn’t take the draw (12/5 Betfred) between the two biggest draw specialists around.
It feels brave to back either of these sides for three points when you look at the stats. Stoke have won just one of their last 14 Premier League matches (W1 D9 L4). The Black Cats have tasted victory just once in their last 15 top flight outings (W1 D10 L4). It’s obviously the second columns that stand out; Tony Pulis’s team have drawn 64% of their games in that run, Martin O’Neill’s boys have shared the spoils 67% of the time.
Saturday’s opponents sit side-by-side in 13th and 14th position in the table respectively with eight points apiece. There really is nothing between them so the standard bookie odds on a draw look like a gift.
Odds correct at time of publishing: 12:09 26th Oct, 2012 but subject to change
