Match Preview: Sunderland v Rotherham United – all you need to know ahead of kick-off!

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Tuesday 26th April 2022

(4th) Sunderland v Rotherham United (2nd)

Sky Bet League One

Stadium of Light

Kick-Off: 19:45

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Tickets & Match Coverage

Tickets: Tickets available via www.safc.com

TV/Stream: Full live match coverage available via www.safc.com.

Radio: Full live match commentary available via BBC Radio Newcastle (not online)

Don’t forget to follow the blow-by-blow account of the game on the Roker Report Twitter feed (@RokerReport) and check out the player ratings after the full-time whistle at www.RokerReport.com!

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The build-up...

The bandwagon kept on rolling at the weekend as we comfortably navigated a potentially tricky encounter against Cambridge United. It was aided by getting a rare fortunate break with the officials when the opposition was reduced to ten men, but most would agree that it was likely we would have taken all three points regardless.

You would expect tonight’s fixture to be very different as second-placed Rotherham travel north, but we have scored 14 goals in our last five fixtures at the Stadium of Light. This statistic suggests we might be in the goals once again and they will be more welcome than usual when you consider how important goal difference might be at the weekend.

There is currently a two-goal spread between the four sides battling it out for play-off places, and a victory tonight with a few goals would really put us in the driving seat ahead of the final weekend. Take all three points tonight and we could take a lot of pressure off the task that follows at Morecambe.

Photo by Chris Vaughan - CameraSport via Getty Images

There will be some frustration at Rotherham at the moment. They must feel like they shouldn’t have needed this battle to secure a place in next season's Championship. Only in March they were ten points in front of third, but things have gone horribly wrong.

Three wins in ten games have allowed MK Dons to pile on the pressure and make it a close race for what is likely to be the runners-up spot behind Wigan. This now means that the prize for victory tonight would be that are almost certainly promoted if you take goal difference into account.

They will need to cut through the frustration that their place should already be secured in that top-two and improve the away form that has seen Rotherham go four without a win on the road.

Speaking of form on the road, their trips to Wearside don’t often produce positive results, and they haven’t enjoyed a victory in Sunderland since 1959, suffering a sequence of results that included a 7-1 win for The Lads back in 1987.

Photo by Isaac Parkin/PA Images via Getty Images

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League One Form...

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Sunderland home form...

Rotherham United away form...

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The betting...

The odds favour a home win at 11/8 over a Rotherham victory at 2/1, with the draw 9/4.

The shortest odds for a correct score is 24/5 for a 1-1, followed by 6/1 for a tight 1-0 win for The Lads. A goalless draw along with a 1-0 away win are not much longer at 15/2.

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Head to head... in Sunderland

(All competitions)

• Sunderland wins: 8
• Draws: 4
• Rotherham United wins: 1
• Sunderland goals: 29
• Rotherham United goals: 7

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Last time we met... at the Stadium of Light

Tuesday 17th September 2019

Sky Bet League One

Stadium of Light

Sunderland 1-1 Rotherham United

[McNulty 1’ - Hastie 66’]

Sunderland: J. McLaughlin, C. McLaughlin (Maguire), Ozturk, Willis, Hume, Gooch (Grigg), McGeouch, Dobson, McGeady, O‘Nien, McNulty (Wyke) Substitutes not used: Burge, Flanagan, Leadbitter, Power

Rotherham United: Iversen, Olosunde, Mattock, Lindsay, Ihiekwe, Robertson, Ladapo (Barlaser), Wiles, Morris (Smith), Crooks, Hastie (MacDonald) Substitutes not used: Price, Jones, Wood, Lamy

Attendance: 29,078

Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images

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Played for both...

Danny Collins

A bargain signing for Mick McCarthy back in 2004 from Chester City, Collins went on to make 163 appearances for The Lads over around five years.

The Welsh international then had spells with Stoke City and Nottingham Forest before signing for Rotherham United in 2015 where he played 26 games before signing for Grimsby Town after just a year in South Yorkshire.

Photo by Paul Gilham/Getty Images

Vic Halom

Bob Stokoe signed the striker from Luton Town not long after taking charge at Roker ahead of our successful cup run of 1972-73. Halom then played a huge part, especially in the semi-final, scoring against Arsenal. He stayed on Wearside for three years before moving to Oldham and then finished his career at Rotherham United in 1981.

Photo by Peter Robinson/EMPICS via Getty Images

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