Sunderland vs Leeds United prediction 12.12.2023

• Competition: Championship
• Date: Tuesday, 12th December 2023
• Kickoff: 20:00 UK / 21:00 CET
• Venue: Stadium of Light (Sunderland)

Sunderland had a rough two seasons in 2016/17 and 2017/18 when they dropped to League One after back-to-back relegations. Since then, they have recovered and are slowly trying to get back to the English top-flight division. Last year, they reached the playoffs with a very young squad, but Luton Town eliminated them and eventually gained promotion. This year, the Black Cats had a solid start if we exclude a loss to Crewe in the Carabao Cup. However, the last two months were pretty disappointing and resulted in the sacking of coach Tony Mowbray. Despite all that, the Black Cats are still holding the playoff spot, as they are currently 6th with 30 points in 20 matches.

Leeds United were relegated last season from the Premier League after three consecutive seasons in the competition. They were in a good position to avoid relegation last year, but after a terrible season finish where they won just two points in nine rounds, they eventually fell into the danger zone. This year, they are among the primary candidates for promotion. Currently, the Whites are 3rd but seven points away from the desired 2nd place and the direct promotion. However, as the season progresses, Leeds are only looking better, and there are definitely reasons to be optimistic about their chance of returning to the Premier League. 

Sunderland vs Leeds United pick: Over 2.5 goals

Sunderland are one of the best teams for an over 2.5 goals bet in the Championship, especially at Stadium of Light, where 80% of their Championship games (eight of ten) finished with three or more goals. The main reason behind it is their good offensive record, considering they are scoring 1.9 goals per game, so we strongly believe they can score against Leeds United. 

Leeds United are in excellent form, with six wins in the last seven games. And in the last three games, they have been really efficient, scoring eight goals - 2.7 per game. But that good offensive record shouldn't really surprise us, considering they have the highest xG in the league. On the other hand, the Whites have not been too great defensively, as they had only one clean sheet in the previous five matches. With that in mind, we do not expect them to keep their net intact on the road against one of the better offensive teams in the league. 

Even though we consider Leeds to be a bit better team, they had mixed results away from home, and with everything above taken into account, we think that an over 2.5 goals bet is the safest choice for this tie.