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Nottingham Forest continue their fight for survival on Friday night when they visit the Stadium of Light to face Sunderland in the Premier League.
The Tricky Trees can go as many as eight points clear of the relegation zone with victory, and with what would be just four games left to play, they would surely consider themselves almost safe.
Meanwhile, Sunderland may have European aspirations on their mind as a win would put them above Chelsea in seventh, which would have been unthinkable at the start of the season after just getting promoted.
Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below, and make sure to check out our Today's betting tips page for more of our expert Premier League predictions!
Contents
Sunderland vs. Nottingham Forest key stats
- Sunderland have lost three of their last four home games (W1).
- Forest are unbeaten in seven matches in all competitions (W4, D3).
- The previous four H2Hs have seen two or fewer goals scored.
Sunderland vs. Nottingham Forest preview: Tricky Trees to take another precious point?
| Sunderland | vs | Forest |
|---|---|---|
| 11th | Position | 16th |
| 46 | Points | 36 |
| 36 | Goals For | 36 |
| 40 | Goals Against | 45 |
| 10 | Clean Sheets | 8 |
| 7th | Home Rank | 16th |
| 15th | Away Rank | 13th |
Considering they were many favourites to go down at the start of the season, Sunderland have had an exceptional campaign.
Having been promoted via the play-offs, the Black Cats spent well last summer on players to keep them in the division.
Not only that, Sunderland could even qualify for Europe given their league position and close proximity to the European places.
A win would put them above Chelsea in seventh, but Forest are unlikely to make it easy for them.
Indeed, the Tricky Trees are on a seven-game unbeaten run across all competitions and showed their muscle with a 4-1 victory at home to Burnley last time out.
That win put them five points clear of the drop zone, but they will feel the need for a couple more victories to guarantee safety.
Forest will have one eye on their Europa League semi-final clash against Aston Villa in midweek, so it will be interesting to see what team Vitor Pereira fields.
Nonetheless, should they win Europe's second-tier competition, Champions League football will be coming back to the City Ground next season.
Sunderland vs. Nottingham Forest form guide & betting tips
| Sunderland | vs | Forest |
|---|---|---|
| W-L-W-W-L | League Form | D-D-W-D-W |
| 9 | Points | 9 |
| 6th | Form Table | 3rd |
| 7 | Goals For | 10 |
| 6 | Goals Against | 4 |
| L-L-W-W-L | Form (all comps) | W-D-D-W-W |
Whispers predicts: Sunderland 1-1 Nottingham Forest
Forest are slight 17/10 favourites with bookmakers to win, but with Sunderland at 7/4, it suggests that this is a close one to call.
Thus, we like the idea of backing a Draw at 23/10.
We are also not expecting too many goals, with both teams being the joint-fourth lowest scorers in the division, so Under 2.5 goals at 8/11 also appeals.
In terms of our final pick, we are exploring the HT market as Sunderland have seen a league-high 17 of their matches stand level at the break.
Thus, HT: Draw at 23/20 is worth backing in our eyes.
Overall, we are predicting a 1-1 draw, which can be backed at 6/1.
> Under 2.5 goals at 8/11 | Likelihood: Probable
> HT: Draw at 23/20 | Likelihood: Possible
> Draw at 23/10 | Likelihood: Outsider