Sunderland Form
In another parallel reality Sunderland could still even be in contention for a place in the Champions League, but in reality the ideal outcome will be only sixth place. And even for that the rivals need to stumble even more heavily. The hosts themselves have not had a points streak longer than two rounds throughout this year. Two narrow wins over Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur were followed by a defeat in a goal-filled thriller against Aston Villa last weekend.
Key numbers for Sunderland:
- Regis Le Bris's side have lost only three of their 16 home league matches.
- Sunderland are among the top five most ill-disciplined clubs in the Premier League (71 yellow cards and two red cards).
- In 15 of their 33 league matches, the players have hit the target with more than a third of their attempts.
Potential Sunderland Lineup (4-2-3-1): Robin Roefs — Nordi Mukiele, Luke O'Nien, Dan Ballard, Trai Hume — Noah Sadiki, Granit Xhaka — Chris Rigg, Enzo Le Fee, Habib Diarra — Brian Brobbey
Unavailable: Omar Alderete, Simon Moore, Nilson Angulo, Bertrand Traore, Joslin Ta Bi, Romain Mandl are injured
Nottingham Forest Form
At last, under Vitor Pereira Nottingham Forest have started to pick up points on a regular basis. Their unbeaten run has stretched to seven matches and more than a month. Thanks to four wins and three draws in the Premier League, they have increased the gap to the relegation zone from zero to five points, and in the Europa League they have reached the semi-finals.
Key numbers for Nottingham Forest:
- Nottingham Forest are unbeaten in five consecutive league rounds (two wins and three draws).
- In eight matches in all competitions, the visitors have not conceded more than one goal.
- Forest are quite vulnerable from set pieces, having conceded 29% of all their Premier League goals from them.
Potential Nottingham Forest Lineup (4-2-3-1): Matz Sels — Neco Williams, Jair, Nikola Milenkovic, Ola Aina — Elliot Anderson, Ibrahim Sangare — Dilane Bakwa, Morgan Gibbs-White, Omari Hutchinson — Chris Wood
Unavailable: Murillo, Callum Hudson-Odoi are injured
