David Prutton predicts result of West Brom Championship clash v Sunderland for Sky Sports
David Prutton has predicted Sunderland to snatch a point when the Black Cats visit West Brom on Sunday afternoon.
Both sides are still in with a shout of making the playoffs, although it’s the Baggies who are in a healthier position when it comes to the top six race.
Sunderland are in desperate need of a victory but Prutton has backed the two sides to cancel each other out when they meet on Sunday at The Hawthorns (23 April).
“Two good wins for West Brom in a row and they will really fancy their chances of making that top six now. If they win all their remaining games, which they are capable of, you’d think that would be more than enough,” said Prutton (Sky Sports predictions, 20 April).
“Sunderland are on a great unbeaten run, but they were frustrated by Huddersfield in midweek. They may just fall short, but it has still been a fantastic season for them. I’ll go for a draw here. 1-1.”
Keep winning
Despite Albion sitting just one point and one place outside the top six, they must keep picking up positive results. Consecutive wins have come at the perfect time for Carlos Corberan’s side. The players are confident and they should be looking to put in a dominant performance on Sunday.
Sunderland are a tough nut to crack but they will have to come out and attack the Baggies. They simply have to win, with there being a large number of teams vying for fifth and sixth spot at present.
Any slip up will be punished. For West Brom, their larger points tally means they can probably afford a draw or a loss between now and the end of the campaing, providing the rest of their record is perfect.
With Blackburn facing away fixture against Preston, there’s a chance for Albion to jump into the playoff places with a win. It’s been a remarkable rise since Steve Bruce’s depature and Corberan deserves immense credit for dragging this group of players to anywhere near the playoff places.
In other West Brom news, the Baggies have started plans for the summer window as they’ve sent scouts to track an in-demand defender with an exit on the cards.