Midweek view: Stoke and Sunderland look great value this Saturday
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With no major midweek action to speak of, it’s all eyes on the weekend’s Premier League, and we reckon Stoke and Sunderland represent cracking value.
The Potters are at home to Crystal Palace this weekend, while Sunderland host Southampton.
Let’s start with Stoke.
Mark Hughes’ men shrugged off a dismal start to the year to occupy their usual spot in mid-table.
And a quick dissection of the Staffordshire outfit’s results show a clear pattern.
Of their nine league defeats this term, seven have come from teams who sit in the top eight.
Much like West Brom, Stoke are picking up points against the sides in and around them, plus the ones at the wrong end of table.
Ironically one of their two non-top-eight defeats came in a 4-1 hammering at Palace in September. But much has changed since then.
The Potters have all but ensured another season of Premier League football, while the Eagles have changed manager yet still remain mired in a relegation scrap.
Stoke may be winless in their last three, but again, each of those games came against the top eight.
Palace meanwhile have won one of their last 10, and were simply woeful against Sunderland last weekend.
All told, the Potters look far too good to ignore at 21/20.
Now, onto Sunderland.
On a high following that rampant 4-0 victory at Selhurst Park, the Black Cats are doing what they do best. That is, desperately pick up wins and points in the final months of the campaign.
David Moyes will be acutely aware too, of how poor Southampton were at West Ham last weekend.
The Hammers cut through Claude Puel’s men with ease in a 3-1 win, and the Saints are struggling without Jose Fonte and Virgil van Dijk.
Indeed the Hampshire outfit have lost six of their last seven league games, and sit joint-bottom in the form table.
The respective form of these two sides, plus Sunderland’s history at this time of the year, makes the 13/5 on another Black Cats win very appealing.
And if you’re feeling particularly optimistic, a Stoke/Sunderland double pays out at over 6/1.
You can thank us on Monday.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
