Sunderland vs Stoke City Match Preview
Sunderland is struggling. Just one win in their last five games and three consecutive defeats have left the club reeling. Manager Steve Bruce has been hitting out at Liverpool’s efforts to poach striker Kenwyne Jones away from the Black Cats. Bruce’s accusations seem rather untidy. But let’s face it, Sunderland just isn’t playing well. Sitting 13th in the league table, the Wiersiders will be glad of a home game against Stoke on Monday since they only have one away win in twelve games.
Stoke have lost just once in their last 5 matches and they currently sit in 12th place, two points ahead of weekend opponents Sunderland. A win could vault the Potters over Blackburn, depending on the Rovers result. Stoke manager Tony Pulis still expects to bring Portsmouth goalkeeper David James to Britannia Stadium before the transfer window closes. Keeping a clean sheet will be a priority for the Welshman. Although the Potters had a fine win against Arsenal in their 4th Round FA Cup tie last weekend, they share a statistic with Sunderland: just one win away from home. Advantage Sunderland?
