Will Sunderland sink to the bottom of the table?
Last updated: September 29, 2015 by Leon Marshal
Game details
. .
| Kick-off: | Saturday, 3pm |
| Venue: | Stadium of Light |
| Coverage: | Sky Sports 1, BBC 5 Live |
| Home form: | LLLLD |
| Away form: | DLWWW |
| Last season: | 1-1 |
| Referee: | N. Swarbrick |
| Competition: | The Premier League |
Dick Advocaat knew from the beginning that this campaign wouldn’t be easier for Sunderland but after just 7 rounds the situation for the club looks hopeless. With just two points earned so far The Black Cats are the bookies’ favorites for relegation. Advocaat helped the team to stay in The Premiership last season, achieving some great results against the strongest teams in the division but so far this season Sunderland still has no victories, having recorded 2 draws and 5 defeats.
It’s high time Sunderland started winning games and this is the perfect time for them. The Black Cats haven’t kept their sheet clean in any of the matches they’ve played. They have scored only 6 goals and have conceded 16, which is the league’s worst record.
West Ham’s progress is totally different from Sunderland’s. The Hammers are showing really nice football and they have won 4 of their 7 games. West Ham beat Arsenal, Liverpool, Newcastle and Manchester City which is evidence of the team’s qualities. In addition, West Ham have scored 11 goals in their matches so far.
Team News
Alex Song who is at West Ham on loan is suffering from ankle injury and is expected to return to the pitch in a months time.
Enner Valencia and Ogbonna are sidelined due to injuries. The good news for Bilic is that Carroll is fit enough to start a match.
Jack Rodwell is the main omission for Sunderland. The Englishman injured his ankle two weeks ago and is now sidelined.
Duncan Watmore is ill. Adam Matthews is expected to return after a couple of weeks, so he is still not available.
Quotes of the week
Dick Advocaat (Sunderland) :
“Everything Adam Johnson did was wrong”
Slaven Bilic (West Ham) :
“Even fans of other clubs are getting behind his happy Hammers.”
Expected line-ups:
| . | |
| Sunderland (4-3-3): | Pantilimon, Kaboul, O’Shea, Jones, van Aanholt, Lens, Cattermole, Larsson, M’Vila, Defoe, Toivonen. |
| Subs | Mannone, Johnson, Gooch, Jordi Gomez, Bridcutt, Graham, Coates |
| Injured: | Matthews, Watmore, Rodwell |
| Doubtful: | — |
| Not available: | — |
| . | |
| West Ham (4-3-3): | Adrian, Tomkins, Reid, Jenkinson, Cresswell, Kouyate, Payet, Obiang, Moses, Sakho, Carroll. |
| Subs | Jelavic, Jarvis, Cullen, Randolph, Samuelsen, Lee, Noble |
| Injured: | Valencia, Song, Ogbonna. |
| Doubtful: | — |
| Not available: | — |
Key Battle
 |
Borini this season | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Minutes | Goals | Shots per game | Assists | MotM | Yellows | Reds | |
| 3 | 236 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
 |
Kouyate this season | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Minutes | Goals | Shots per game | Assists | MotM | Yellows | Reds | |
| 6 | 526 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
So far this season
| . | . | . |
|---|---|---|
| Sunderland this season | West Ham this season | |
| 20 | League Position | 3 |
| 0 (0) | (at home) Wins (away) | 1 (3) |
| — | Biggest win | 3-0 vs Liverpool |
| 1 (1) | (at home) Draws (away) | 1 (0) |
| 2 (3) | (at home) Losses (away) | 2 (0) |
| 0-3 to Manchester United | Biggest Defeat | 3-4 to Bournemouth |
| Defoe (2) | Top scorer | Kouyate, Payet, Sakho (3) |
| Lens (2) | Assist Leader | Payet (3) |
| Y19, R1 | Discipline | Y8, R3 |
| 3 | Failures to score | 0 |
| 0 | Clean Sheets | 3 |
| 4 | Both Teams to Score Games | 4 |
| 4 | Over 2.5 Games | 5 |
| 3 | Under 2.5 Games | 2 |
- Sunderland haven’t won a match in The Premier League since 9th May 2015 when they beat Everton at Goodison Park 2-0. The last home victory for The Black Cats was on 2ed May 2015 (2-1 vs Southampton).
- West Ham have won all their three away matches so far; and they did it against teams like Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City, conceding just one goal, which is a very impressive record.
- The last match between the teams at The Stadium of Light ended with a 1-1 draw. Jordi Gomez opened from the penalty spot, then Downing secured the point for The Hammers.
- They have totally equal stats; Sunderland have won on 26 occasions, so have West Ham. The number of draws is 19.
Head to Head
| Last 5 meetings between the two sides | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Competition | Game Result | First Goalscorer |
| 21/03/15 | The Premier League | West Ham 1-0 Sunderland | Sakho 88′ |
| 13/12/14 | The Premier League | Sunderland 1-1 West Ham | Jordi Gomez (PG) 22′ |
| 31/03/14 | The Premier League | Sunderland 1-2 West Ham | Carroll 9′ |
| 14/12/13 | The Premier League | West Ham 0-0 Sunderland | — |
| 12/01/13 | The Premier League | Sunderland 3-0 West Ham | Larsson 12′ |