After the disappointment of losing the Checkatrade Trophy on penalties on Sunday, Sunderland will look to boost their promotion chances when they head to the Wham Stadium to face Accrington Stanley on Wednesday evening.
When these two met the first time around heavy rain forced an abandonment with around 15 minutes left. At that stage Accrington were safely in mid-table but now they sit two points above the drop and need points desperately.
Get £10 in free bets when you bet £25 on sports bets in a week with Coral. Click the image above to bet but make sure you opt in. All customers! 18+ T&Cs apply
Accrington Stanley
At one stage this season Accrington Stanley were riding high in fourth place in the table but after they went to the now leaders Luton and lost 4-1, the wheels came off completely and they have never really been convincing at any stage since then. They have only won four of their 24 matches since then and have not beaten anyone in the top half of the table in that run.
Stanley go into this match off the back of one win in seven, and that against a freefalling Wycombe side isn’t the best form guide either in fairness. To be fair, three of their five defeats in that run have been by the odd goal so they rarely get wiped out but one goal or plenty it all equates to the same thing – zero points and Accrington can’t afford too many more of those.
Sunderland
All eyes will be on the Sunderland players here to see what they have left in the tank. They looked a very tired outfit at Wembley on Sunday and the disappointment of then losing probably won’t have helped their recovery. Sunderland do have a big squad though which could be advantageous here, as they are likely to have to use it, if not in this game then against Rochdale on Saturday.
Sunderland have only lost two matches all season so they are tough to beat, as they should be at this level, but the reason they sit in fourth place in the table, albeit with games in hand, is that they have drawn a ridiculous 16 matches – more than anyone else in the league. Eight of those draws have come on the road including four of their last five away from the Stadium of Light.
Team News
Accrington will be without winger Jordan Clark here. He completes a suspension for picking up 10 bookings for the season last month. John Coleman is likely to continue to rotate his pack in a busy run of matches.
Sunderland will be without the suspended George Honeyman while Will Grigg is a doubt. Jack Ross will assess a number of his players after the Wembley defeat. Kazaiah Sterling was cup-tied for the Wembley outing but is expected to return here.
[the_ad_group id=”3624″]
Betting
I must admit that the more Sunderland drift the more I’m tempted to get involved in them in some way, shape or form but in the end I’ve decided to keep my powder dry here. There are too many factors in play for me to have a bet. We would be chancing the fitness and mindset of the Sunderland players and you can never tell what demons the pitch has in store either.
I’m already on Accrington to be relegated so while by not betting on this match I could miss out on a pay day should Sunderland win without me being on them, I do at least get something out of such a result so with tons of matches in April I’ll keep my money in my pocket here.
Tips
No Bet
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2019
