‘Absolutely unbelievable Leeds United player will struggle in loss vs Sunderland’ – Chris Sutton
Chris Sutton has predicted that Sunderland will beat Leeds United 1-0 in the Premier League on Sunday.
Daniel Farke’s team will travel to the Stadium of Light on 28 December, and the Whites’ four-game unbeaten run in the league is expected to come to an end.
The West Yorkshire outfit beat the Black Cats to the Championship title last season, but Regis Le Bris’ team have been the better side in the current campaign as they sit sixth in the table.
Farke has shown he’s capable of surviving in the Premier League, but the Peacocks are still not out of danger and may be set for a setback in Wearside.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin heroics to end in Sunderland vs Leeds United
Sutton believes Sunderland will beat Leeds by keeping Dominic Calvert-Lewin quiet.
The former Norwich City forward admits the England international has been “absolutely unbelievable” at Elland Road in recent weeks, but could potentially be stifled by the Black Cats’ resolute defence.
It looks like the former Everton star’s record of scoring in five consecutive games is about to come to an end at the Stadium of Light.
Writing in BBC Sport on 24 December, Sutton said, “Calvert-Lewin has been absolutely unbelievable up front for Leeds. They are just a much better team with him in it, and their confidence must be sky-high at the moment too, because they have had some excellent results recently.”
The ex-forward added, “The worry for Sunderland is how much they will miss their players who are away at AFCON, but I don’t think it will affect them. The Black Cats don’t score a lot of goals, but they are always so well-organised — I am going for them to win, and keep out Calvert-Lewin to keep a clean sheet too.”
Opta’s supercomputer also predicts Farke’s team to be the underdogs against Sunderland, but fans in LS11 will want the German manager to get the three points against a side they were arguably better than not that long ago.
Daniel Farke set for new year heartbreak at Elland Road
Farke’s future was in doubt at Elland Road just a few weeks back, but the concerns around him have subsided for now.
While Leeds are in a much better position as they sit six points ahead of 18th-place West Ham United, things can change quickly.
| Team | Matches played | Points |
| 16. Leeds | 17 | 19 |
| 17. Nottingham Forest | 17 | 18 |
| 18. West Ham | 17 | 13 |
| 19. Burnley | 17 | 11 |
| 20. Wolves | 17 | 2 |
The Whites’ next four league matches are against Sunderland, Liverpool, Manchester United and Newcastle, all challenging in their own ways.
A bunch of losses in the coming weeks could potentially lead to renewed questions over whether Farke is the right man to lead the West Yorkshire outfit until the end of the season.
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