Sunderland vs Stoke City Prediction: Black Cats to end winless run

Sunderland have hit somewhat of a sticky patch of late, and have now gone six games without a win. Five of those were draws before they lost to Sheffield United on Friday night, but they will hope to get back to winning ways as they host Stoke City on Saturday. This one kicks off at 12:30 and will be shown live on Sky Sports+, as the Black Cats look to get back into top two contention. 

Meanwhile Stoke haven’t won in their last four and now sit 14th in the table. Below you can find my Sunderland vs Stoke City predictions featuring team news and betting tips.

Team News

Sunderland will be without centre-back Chris Mepham after he was sent off at Bramall Lane so a reshuffle will be required. Luke O’Nien played at right-back in that one and could move over to the middle of defence, although Aji Alese could partner Dan Ballard instead. 

Regis Le Bris has an awful lot of injuries to deal with right now, but he was provided some relief as Jobe Bellingham returned in Sheffield, allowing Chris Rigg, Dan Neil and Bellingham to reunite. If that trio can stay fit, Sunderland have a chance of promotion this season, but they could do with the return of some other key players. 

Romaine Mundle was in sensational form on the left wing but his hamstring injury is set to keep him out until January while Alan Browne has broken his leg and is out for several months. Ian Poveda and Dennis Cirkin could be set for returns later this month but will miss this game, meaning opportunity knocks once again for the likes of Tom Watson. 

Sunderland’s batch of youth players looks pretty special right now, and Watson has fitted into Mundle’s role perfectly, winning a penalty against Sheffield United after a driving run. He should be given another start here while Wilson Isidor will lead the line.

Stoke City are only without Sam Gallagher, Ben Pearson and Bosun Lawal, but all are on track to return in mid-December. This one may come too soon for them but they should be back before Christmas. Narcis Pelach saw his side lose 2-0 to Burnley last time out and deployed a back three to try and get the better of the Clarets. 

They had chances but it didn’t ultimately work, but I think he could stay with that system rather than reverting back to the 4-2-3-1 he has employed for most of the campaign. Tom Cannon should lead the line again while the back three of Ben Gibson, Ashley Phillips and Ben Wilmot could remain unchanged. Michael Rose is another defensive option if change is needed while Tatsuki Seko could continue to partner Wouter Burger in the heart of midfield. . 

Sunderland vs Stoke City Odds

Sunderland are priced at 8/11 to win this game, which is no surprise given they are currently unbeaten (five wins, three draws) at the Stadium of Light this season. Stoke can be backed at 7/2, while a draw is decent value at 5/2 given five of the last six Sunderland games have ended in a draw, and three of the last four Stoke matches have ended all square. 

In terms of goals, over 2.5 is 10/11 but only 39% of Sunderland’s matches, and 33% of Stoke’s fixtures have ended with over 2.5 goals to date. BTTS is 5/6 with Stoke and Sunderland both ranking in the bottom half of the division for that particular statistic. Isidor is the favourite to score first at 5/1, having scored five league goals in 2024/25. 

Sunderland to win @ 8/11

Sunderland are unbeaten at home this season, and I’m more than happy to back them to get back to winning ways here. Although their form in terms of results hasn’t been great, as they followed up five consecutive draws with a defeat, the performances haven’t been all that bad - and they have been coping with key injuries. Cirkin, Bellingham and Rigg have all missed matches in recent weeks and now the two midfielders are back they should be able to win games, especially at home. 

Le Bris has full faith in his young players as we have seen this season and although Mepham will be a miss, I don’t think Stoke have shown enough recently to trouble the Black Cats. The Potters have failed to score in their last two matches, and have only managed two goals in their last four. I think the home side can win this one fairly comfortably. 

Tom Watson to score anytime @ 16/5

I’ve been so impressed with Watson in recent weeks. Having been in and out of the squad earlier in the season, he has now started the last three matches in the absence of Mundle, and looks like another winger in the model of Sunderland's former star Jack Clarke. 

His driving run earned Sunderland a penalty against Sheffield United that was missed by Patrick Roberts and he hasn’t scored yet, but I believe it is only a matter of time before he opens his account. He’s had nine shots so far, and is clearly growing in confidence with every appearance. It’s time for him to find the net. 

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