- West Brom unbeaten vs. Sunderland since Dec. 2008
- Sunderland leads series 56W-40D-53L
- Baggies won at Stadium of Light in last year’s fixture
While Manchester City tries to sort out the top of the table, the final slot in the relegation battle may be decided by the time Sunderland and West Bromwich Albion finish dueling at the Stadium of Light on Wednesday (Watch live at 2:45pm ET on NBCSN andonline via NBC Sports Live Extra).
Even though a single point earned by Sunderland would help doom Norwich City to the Championship -- the Black Cats would have a three-point lead and a 13-point lead in goal differential heading into Championship Sunday -- Poyet claims his team will be actively looking for the win.
West Brom is three points ahead of Norwich already, and their goal differential is even better.
WATCH LIVE AT 2:45pm ET ON NBCSN AND ONLINE VIA NBC SPORTS LIVE EXTRA
What they’re saying…
Sunderland manager Gus Poyet on their potential escape: “We’ve done something extraordinary; now we need to make sure we finish it.We will be playing to win. As we always say, the result is a consequence of the performance. The idea is not to play or start the game with a draw in our heads – not at all. We will go for the win first.”
West Brom’s James Morrison on having essentially earned safety: “It was a huge relief over the weekend. Obviously we know we’re not mathematically safe yet, we’ve still got jobs to do and we want to finish on a high. But that pressure is off us now, it’s been hanging over us for a few months. It’s been difficult to play under. We’ve got two good games and we want to finish as high as we can.”
Prediction
This could be a sleepy affair, with both clubs happy for a point. Then again, it is the Premier League and certainly Sunderland would love the 100 percent safety a win would provide. Look for Sunderland to push forward early, with caution. If West Brom scores early, game on, but it seems this could be headed for Drawsville. 1-1 in my book. Borini and Amalfitano?