Sunderland vs Hull City
EFL Championship
Friday
19th January 2024
Stadium of Light
The most comprehensive preview, detailed analysis and reliable predictions of the EFL Championship fixture between Sunderland and Hull City.
Sunderland vs Hull City: Preview
Sunderland form analysis
Sunderland’s recent form has been up and down, with one win, two draws and two losses from their past five Championship matches. They suffered a poor 3-0 defeat away to Coventry City on December 23rd, conceding three second half goals after a goalless first half. Sunderland bounced back with a 1-0 away victory at Hull City on Boxing Day thanks to an 82nd minute Jack Clarke winner. However, they then could only manage a 1-1 draw away to Rotherham on December 30th, relying on Clarke to salvage a point after falling behind.
Sunderland returned to winning ways on New Year’s Day by beating Preston North End 2-0 at home, with goals from Alex Pritchard and Nikita Rusyn. Most recently however, Sunderland fell to a 2-1 loss away to Ipswich Town on January 13th, with Clarke scoring again but the hosts completing a second half turnaround. Based on these inconsistent results, Sunderland has proven capable of beating teams around them but lacks defensive solidity and momentum in their push for promotion. Addressing these areas could aid their form.
Hull City form analysis
Hull City’s recent form in the Championship has been poor, with the club earning just one win from their past five league matches. This disappointing run started on December 23rd with a narrow 3-2 away loss to Bristol City, twice throwing away a lead in an error-strewn performance. Things did not improve on Boxing Day as Hull fell 1-0 at home to Sunderland from an 82nd minute Jack Clarke winner. The Tigers did manage an entertaining 3-2 home win over Blackburn on December 30th thanks to goals from Liam Delap, Aaron Connolly and Alfie Jones.
However, any momentum was halted by a 3-1 New Year’s Day thrashing away to Sheffield Wednesday, going down despite a Tyler Morton strike. Most recently, a lackluster display saw Hull fall 2-1 at home to Norwich City on January 13th, losing control after conceding early and only getting a goal back through Morton in stoppage time. Based on these results and some heavy defeats, Hull’s defense appears increasingly porous while scoring goals has also been inconsistent. The manager will need to tighten things up defensively and establish a clearer attacking threat to turn around Hull’s struggling form.
