Our prediction for this Championship match:
Leeds United will be aiming to make amends for a 2-1 loss to Coventry City when they take on Sunderland in the Championship round 42. The Whites have been producing excellent displays at their Elland Road this term and, as a result, the bookies see them as hot favourites to win Tuesday’s clash. Joel Piroe is pushing for a rare start after scoring as a substitute at the weekend, with fit-again Italy forward Wilfried Gnonto eyeing a return to the starting XI as well.
The Black Cats, on the other hand, are stuck in the middle of the table with little to play for in the season finale. In the first half of the season Sunderland defeated Leeds United at Stadium of Light, meaning that the promotion-chasing hosts are hungry for revenge. The visitors will be without Jenson Seelt, Nazariy Rusyn, Niall Huggins, Dennis Cirkin, and Corry Evans in the midweek clash.
Highlighted Player (Patrick Bamford):
Known for his technical ability and versatility, Patrick Bamford is an English professional footballer who plays for Leeds United in the Championship. The 6ft tall forward who was born in Grantham, Lincolnshire, is a Nottingham Forest youth product and signed his first professional with the club in 2011. He made his professional debut, playing for the Reds in a 0-1 home defeat to Cardiff on the 31st of December, 2011.
Bamford's career then took him to Premier League giants Chelsea with whom he signed a five year deal worth 1.5 million pounds on the 31st of January, 2012. His time at the Blues included loan spells at clubs like Milton Keynes Dons, Derby County, Middlesborough, Crystal Palace, Norwich, and Burnley. He scored his first professional goal while playing for Milton against Crewe Alexandra on the 19th of March, 2013. In January 2017, Bamford permanently left Chelsea to reunite with Middlesborough on a four-and-a-half-year deal. In his second spell, Bamford made 47 appearances for the club and scored 12 goals.
The Striker followed up by joining Championship side Leeds United for the 18/19 season and is currently on a four-and-a-half-year contract with the club. Born on the 5th of September, 1993, the 26-year-old initially featured for the Republic of Ireland under-18 team before switching to represent England for whom he's gone on to serve at the under-18, under-19, and the under-21 level.
Highlighted Team (Sunderland):
Sunderland are a professional football club that have been playing their home games at the Stadium of Light since 1997. The capacity of the stadium is 49,000, but before expansion the original ground capacity was 42,000. Red and White shirts are Sunderland’s trademark and the club’s fiercest rivals are Newcastle United. The two local rivals have been contesting in the Tyne-Wear derby since 1898 and there have always been fireworks in what is one of the greatest derbies in English football. Sunderland were on the verge of dropping to the Championship in the 2015/2016 Premier League campaign, but experienced tactician Sam Allardyce eventually helped the team avoid relegation.
The Black Cats have won six First Division trophies (now the Premier League), with the team lifting two FA Cup titles. Sunderland won their first FA Cup trophy in 1937, with the team beating Preston North End 3-1 in the title game. The club was founded in 1879 as Sunderland and District Teachers A.F.C.