Sunderland v Stoke Tip

Results in the past seven days mean that Sunderland’s march to safety has become a nervy affair again with the matter back in the balance. The situation is so tight that the Black Cats kick-off in 17th spot but could rise to 11th with victory!

Tony Pulis has made it clear that his players must not relax just because they have reached the ‘magical’ 40-point mark - that may not be enough if Wigan keep winning. I think the sense that this game is important for all concerned will make it tight and low-scoring.

StanJames go a best price 2/1 that there will be under 1.5 goals in the match and that looks like value. Six of Stoke’s last 11 fixtures have had one goal or less and this is a characteristic of Potters’ matches that has been well-established.

Sunderland’s last two games at the Stadium of Light also only produced one goal apiece and it was 0-0 in a drab encounter when these two sides met in the reverse fixture last October.