Score Predictions: Can Sunderland boost our play off chances with a win tonight?

Last time out... Sunderland 2 Birmingham City 1

The lads made quite hard work of it at home to the Brummies, on what ended up being a cracking weekend for all our international fans. It was great to see Sunderland prevail though, keeping our hopes of a top six finish very much alive.

Despite us looking very likely to score in the opening ten minutes or so with lots of great play and a couple of good chances which went begging, we went behind around the half hour mark. Some sloppy passing combined with players being out of position (and maybe a little too committed to going forward) pretty much gifted the West Midlands visitors with a decently worked counter-attacking tap in.

What was nice to see though was the lads’ heads not dropping. Sunderland showed real grit and determination, and Trai Hume (for many, one of our player of the season candidates) bagged a close-range header to score in first half stoppage time, levelling it at the break.

The second half was a mixed bag too, with more good footy and solid SAFC chances spawned, including a shot high and wide from close range by Patrick Roberts, which was probably the one we most expected to push the net back.

Photo by Michael Driver/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Our little wizard Amad came up with the goods again, however. After being fed by an impeccable cross field switch from Jack Clarke, he drove into the box, cut inside 2 defenders and hit an unstoppable 75th minute left footer in the bottom corner, which sent the crowd wild. A great come back was on the cards, as long as we could keep the lead we had taken the majority of the match to gain.

To compound the challenge of managing the game out, we then lost Cirkin to a questionable second yellow only a few minutes after Amad’s goal, but this time the lads managed the game out really well which was also very nice to see. Excellent contributions off the bench especially from O’Nien and young Anderson helped with that significantly.

The Roker Report lads were quite upbeat before the game despite our home form being a clear area for improvement, as the above predictions graphic shows.

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Predictions League Table - After Game 42 - Birmingham (H)

Thanks to correctly predicting a 2-1 win, both Matty and Martin took 3 predictions league points from the Brum game. Everyone else had to settle for a single point for correctly foreseeing a win of some type.

Nobody predicted the trend of defenders opening the scoring for SAFC carrying on in the game on Saturday afternoon, hence no extra points taken for first goal scorer.

The 3 correct score points mean Matty leaps above Jack to take the lead at the top of the table. Malc, Will, Jack and Bomber all get 1 point, leaving Bomber with a slight gap to make up. Martin closes the gap a little on several of the lads with the first 3 point haul he has taken for some time, taking him into the 20’s.

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How the points are awarded...

Just a quick reminder on how we allocate points to our match-by-match predictions:

• Correct score = 3 points
• Correct outcome (but not correct score) = 1 point
• Correct first Sunderland goalscorer = 1 point (no goal scorer is a valid call)
• Possible deductions for being lazy and not submitting on time = TBC at Malc’s discretion…

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Malc Dugdale predicts...

Score Prediction: Sunderland 2 Huddersfield 0

Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Patrick Roberts

Huddersfield have done well to get themselves to 19th in the table, and they have won 3 of the last 5, but in the last two games the resurgence has faltered a little - they lost away to Swansea last game, and drew at home to Blackburn, letting in a 91st minute equaliser to make it 2-2 just over a week ago.

I can see Luke O’Nien coming back in to help with our issues at the back and Roberts will be dead keen to make up for the chance he missed on Saturday, so I am backing him to score first for us this time. I would gamble it may well be a screamer he will be so disappointed to let the team down, even though no harm was done.

Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images

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Matty Foster predicts...

Score Prediction: Sunderland 3 Huddersfield 2

Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Amad Diallo

Our push to gatecrash the play-offs is well and truly on after Saturday’s win.

I can’t believe we’re in this position at this point. It is a remarkable feat, considering our extensive injury list!

Next up are Huddersfield, with one of my favourite non-Sunderland managers, Neil Warnock leading the charge.

Their form has considerably improved under his helm, with that Swansea defeat on Saturday halting a five-game unbeaten streak.

I think they’ll be well up for this, with only one point keeping them above that dreaded drop zone.

But I see us having too much going forward, so I’m going for another three points tonight!

Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images

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Bomber Davies predicts...

Score Prediction: Sunderland 3 Huddersfield 1

Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Amad Diallo

This Huddersfield game is a very difficult one to predict and my opinion keeps flipping back and forth as I’m thinking of each piece of context.

On the one hand, Huddersfield are still very much in danger of relegation and so should be fighting for their lives to avoid defeat tonight. Warnock has grabbed them by their collars and shook them up a bit, but an argument can be made that their belated new manager bounce is waning. Warnock took a while to get it, but stunned the division by following up a 1-1 against Norwich with successive wins playoff chasers Millwall, Middlesbrough and Watford.

On the other hand however they were more recently pegged back to 2-2 from 2-0 against Blackburn (whose form has leapt off a cliff), and lost 1-0 to Swansea at the weekend. For me Warnock will have his Huddersfield team well drilled and difficult to break down, but will see this as a free hit before the two games that will actually decide their fate in Reading and Cardiff.

As such, I think we’ll have too much for them should they may play into our hands and see this as that free-hit before those two massive games. Our youngsters will be fired up whilst the playoff carrot is still being dangled in front of them, knowing that anything less than 12 points from our last four will likely not be enough to extend the season.

Photo by Ian horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images

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Martin Wanless predicts...

Score Prediction: Sunderland 2 Huddersfield 0

Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Jack Clarke

After an important three points on Saturday we’re back in action against a Huddersfield side that Neil Warnock has reinvigorated - but hopefully we’ll have too much for them.

Certainly three points will have us well in contention for a top six finish and will make Saturday’s trip to West Brom very interesting indeed, so I’m going for a 2-0 win, with Jack Clarke keeping up his superb form and bagging the first.

Photo by Michael Driver/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images

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Will Jones predicts...

Score Prediction: Sunderland 2 Huddersfield 1

Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Amad Diallo

After back to back wins, can the lads put themselves right in the mix for a late play off surge? I think so.

Huddersfield have been getting points, clinically. There lies our issue. We cannot give away any chances, they could easily score and then with the man at the helm, can sit back and look to take anything back down to Yorkshire with them.

It’s gonna be tight, probably not one for the neutral. But if we can take 3 points then we will be ever present in the fight #TillTheEnd.

Photo by John Early/Getty Images

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Jack Howe-Gingell predicts...

Score Prediction: Sunderland 2 Huddersfield 0

Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Jack Clarke

After a good turnaround on Saturday, we have another chance to push towards a playoff place against a revitalised Huddersfield.

A few weeks back, I’d have backed us heavily but you now have the Warnock factor to consider. The wily veteran has a knack for getting the best out of players and Huddersfield has been little different.

I think we will have too much for them but we’ll need to be at our best. Bringing O’Nien back into the fold from the off will make the difference.

Photo by Nigel Roddis/Getty Images