Sunderland v Cardiff – relegation looms

If ever there was a six pointer then Sunday's game at the Stadium of Light is surely it: Whoever wins this match has a great chance of overtaking crisis club Norwich and reaching the safe zone while the losers must surely be doomed to Championship football next season.

Both teams have picked up useful points in recent matches but Sunderland's home advantage, together with that amazing win over Chelsea makes Gus Poyet's men the clear favourites at Even Money with Ladbrokes. Cardiff drew with Stoke last time out and are currently at 16/5 with BetVictor with the draw dropping in at 13/5 with Stan James.

This has to be tougher than those odds suggest and as impressive as Sunderland were, over at Stamford Bridge, they have been poor in recent weeks. Cardiff meanwhile have been a little more consistent but as the away side, the logical bet may just be the draw.

If you're finding this as tough to call as we are, first goal scorer betting is your first alternative and this shows the rejuvenated Connor Wickham as favourite at 9/2 with Coral. Vital goals in recent matches have seen Wickham jump ahead of his strike partner Fabio Borini at 6/1 with William Hill.

Sunderland continue to dominate the market with Adam Johnson a good option at 7/1 with Coral while Cardiff's first name is Fraizer Campbell – also at 7/1 with Coral.

In the anytime market, Borini would be our tip at 2/1 with Stan Jamesbut as an outside bet, Cardiff's Steven Caulker is a strong contender. The centre half has contributed some vital goals in his side's battle to stay up and at 7/1 with William Hill, the former Spurs man is worth a small stake.

It could prove to be a very nervous and cagey game seeing as there is so much at stake and that makes us less confident when entering the total goals market. Wickham and Borini are finding form for the Black Cats but overall it's been a subdued campaign for the pair.

With that in mind, you could look to bet on over 2.5 goals at 21/20 with BetVictor but when taking overall records into account, it may be safer to go under that line at 9/10 with Stan James. That would also fit into our correct score prediction which is a 1-1 final scoreline at 13/2 with BetVictor.

Alternatively, if you are dipping into the correct score market and are favouring a win for either team , 2-1 to Sunderland is at 17/2 with BetVictor while the same result in favour of Cardiff is at an admittedly tempting 14/1 with Bet365.

Form is with Sunderland after that win over Chelsea and a 2-2 draw with Manchester City but prior to those results, Poyet's men were woeful as they went down 5-1 to Spurs. That's why we are favouring the draw at 13/5 with Stan James while the pick of the side bets is under 2.5 goals at 9/10 with Stan James again. Finally a pound or two on a 1-1 correct score at 13/2 with BetVictor could be an additional option.

More About Ryan Sheader

I love horse racing, love football, love a bit of casino action, love rambling about pointless where was I? Oh yeah, and I love life!

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