Sunderland are separated from a potential top-six finish in the Sky Bet Championship by 180 minutes of football, with our final home fixture of the regular league season arriving at the Stadium of Light this Saturday against Watford (KO 3pm).
An incredibly tight race towards the Play-Off places in the division now leaves every competing side from fifth to 12th with two matches left, and the Lads slotting in at sixth place – level on points with Millwall and Blackburn Rovers, and a point behind fifth-placed Coventry City. West Bromwich Albion and Preston North End – our final-day opponents – are on 63 points, with Norwich City and Swansea City on 62.
Opponents Watford sit 13th, six points outside the top six, and with teams above them having to play each other, have fallen short in their Play-Off aspirations. The Hornets have won just one of their last seven, and are now looking to finish the season strongly.
Team news
Tony Mowbray stated in Thursday afternoon’s press conference that there have been no changes to the injury list amongst his squad, with no further injuries or returns.
Opposition
Watford spent from early November until late February in the Play-Off places in the Championship, but now sit 13th after a downward run of form. This has included four defeats in their six April fixtures to date, but now with any promotion hopes out of reach, Chris Wilder’s side will be looking to secure a top-half finish ready to regroup in the summer.
The Hornets are in their first season back in the Championship after dropping out of the Premier League last term, a solitary season spent in the top flight having earned promotion two years ago. Watford spent five straight years in the Premier League between 2015 and 2020, finishing 11th in 2018-19 – a season which also saw the club reach the FA Cup final.
The reverse fixture at Vicarage Road featured memorable moments back in September, as an entertaining spectacle in the sun resulted in a 2-2 draw. Aji Alese and Jewison Bennette both fired in their first Sunderland goals on the day, Bennette’s coming late on in just his second club appearance.
Around the grounds (Sat 3pm unless stated, direct competitors in bold)
Blackpool vs Millwall (Fri 8pm)
Coventry vs Birmingham
Hull vs Swansea
Sheffield United vs Preston
Reading vs Wigan
Bristol City vs Burnley
Stoke vs QPR
West Brom vs Norwich (Sat 5:30pm)
Cardiff vs Huddersfield (Sun 12noon)
Rotherham vs Middlesbrough (Mon 1pm)
Blackburn vs Luton (Mon 5:30pm)
Tickets & coverage
As of 4pm on Friday afternoon, tickets are now SOLD OUT with an incredible 45k+ crowd expected for the contest, which would register the highest Championship attendance this season.
With a subsequent larger than usual crowd anticipated for this match, please ensure you allow plenty of time for arrival with queueing volumes at the turnstiles.
Following the conclusion of the match, the squad will be holding a lap of appreciation around the pitch to supporters. Please ensure you remain in your seat following the final whistle as the players thank you for your incredible backing throughout the season.
Sunderland Community Soup Kitchen will be collecting items for donation opposite the Roker End Cafe, between 1:30pm and 3pm. Supporters are encouraged to bring tinned and dry packaged food - as much or as little that can be managed - to support our local foodbank.
Due to EFL broadcast restrictions, SAFC Live streaming will only be available to overseas-based supporters, via the Live Video tab on safc.com. Audio commentary is available to all supporters via safc.com.
Social media coverage will as ever be active via our official pages on Twitter @SunderlandAFC, and Instagram @sunderlandafcofficial.