Sunderland v West Ham: Black Cats too Strong for Hammers Kids?
The Black Cats pulled off the Premier 10 shock of the weekend with their first away win of the season at Villa Park. This week they host the hard to predict Hammers at the Stadium of Light in what should be another tight encounter.
Back to Back wins for Black Cats?
West Ham beat Sunderland 3-1 at Upton Park in October but the score-line didn’t reflect the closeness of the game. Roy Keane’s team conceded two goals in the last 12 minutes to end their chances of an away win despite dominating large periods of the match. The Black Cats win over Villa should reignite their survival chances as it ended a run of 4 games without a win (3 defeats). They’d also gone 4 games without scoring and were ominously slipping down the table and out of form. However, they’ll be buoyed by last weekend’s win and will be determined to win back to back League games for the first time this season. The Black Cats have won 7 home matches this season but have slipped to defeat in their last two games against top 5 sides Everton and Chelsea. However, Roy Keane will fancy his side’s chances of a victory over the Hammers but as Premier 10 players will know, you never know what performance this West Ham side will give.
Hammers Kids to Suffer Stadium of Light Stage Fright
Alan Curbishley’s side has bounced back from three successive 4-0 defeats to pick up impressive results against both Blackburn (win) and Everton (draw). This has coincided with the return of England hopeful Dean Ashton to the starting line-up and he’s now scored in successive matches. The Hammers have won just once in the last 7 away matches (4 defeats) so may struggle in front of a worked up capacity crowd at the Stadium of Light. Particularly if Curbishley continues with his policy of blooding youngsters for the final matches of the season. Already both Freddie Sears and James Tomkins have made their West Ham debuts so don’t be surprised if more young talent is included in this match.
This is a huge game for the Black Cats whereas West Ham have little to play for so back a fervent home crowd to push Roy Keane’s side to an all important Premier 10 home victory.
Pundit’s Pick: Hammers blood fresh talent but Black Cats win (home win) Do you agree with this result for your Premier 10 prediction? Play Now>>
Tags: Black cats, Hammers, Premier 10, Premier League preview, Sunderland, West Ham
