Stoke v Sunderland: Potters’ goals so hard to come by at Britannia
Published:All roads lead to a tight contest between Stoke and Sunderland, where goals could prove scarcer than dinosaur eggs at the Britannia Stadium.
As we’ve already mentioned recently on this site, Stoke’s early promise under Mark Hughes has since evaporated, replaced by a string of disappointing results as the players try to get used to their new Welshman’s demands.
Without a Premier League win since August, things are starting to look a little grim for Stoke in 17th, whose once fearsome reputation at home has deserted them, as they simply cannot find the goals required to win games.
Stoke have only mustered three top-flight goals in five games in front of their own fans and this includes drawing blanks on three occasions.
When you throw into the mix the visitors have not managed to find the opposition net in their last three Premier League games on the road, the 7/1 on the 0-0 certainly appeals.
However, the more cautious approach is to back the under 1.5 total goals in the match at 19/20, or wrap up in the safety blanket of 13/20 on under 2.5 total goals.
A solitary win over bottom side Crystal Palace in their first league outing at the Britannia has been followed by three draws and a defeat, making their 1/1 price for a victory seem a little short, especially in light of Sunderland’s recent revival.
The spectacular upset inflicted on Manchester City last time out, made it three wins out of four under new boss Gus Poyet, adding significant appeal to the Black Cats’ own odds of 14/5 to pick up their first maximum points haul, away form Wearside.
What’s more, Sunderland have kept three clean sheets from their last three visits to the Potteries, so a cheeky punt on a 1-0 away win at 9/1 could be a corker.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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