Our prediction for this League 1 match:
Rochdale
Match Time & Date:
20/08/2019
02:45 PM
Prediction: 1-1
Sunderland
Rochdale have been producing fine performances at the start of the season. The Dale have yet to suffer a loss in the 2019/2020 League One campaign and they will be looking to give fans yet another reason for celebration when they take on promotion-chasing Sunderland at their Crown Oil Arena. Brian Barry-Murphy’s troops shared the spoils with Doncaster Rovers in their first home game of the season and seeing that they crushed Bolton Wanderers 5-2 on home soil in their League Cup opener, we are positive that they are going to grab something from the midweek fixture.
The Black Cats, on the other hand, have been showing signs of improvement of late as they did well to beat Portsmouth, one of the main contenders for promotion, in their last league match. Anyhow, given Rochdale’s fine form, share of spoils is on the cards this time out.
Highlighted Player (Ryan McLaughlin):
Ryan McLaughlin is a Northern Ireland international who plays for Rochdale in the League One as a right-back. McLaughlin started his youth career at Glenavon back in 2009 and two years later he was spotted by Liverpool scouts, who persuaded him to join the Reds youth academy.
However, instead of playing for Liverpool at senior level, the Northern Ireland defender spent two seasons on loan at Barnsley and Aberdeen before moving to Oldham Athletic. After scoring three goals in 52 league appearances for the club, Ryan McLaughlin joined Rochdale in 2019 for an undisclosed fee.
McLaughlin made his League One debut with the Dale on January 26, 2019 in a 2-1 loss at Barnsley. Speaking of his international career, the pacey right-back made his Northern Ireland debut on May 31, 2014 in a friendly against Uruguay. It has to be noted that the Rochdale defender can be used as both left-back and right midfielder as well.
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.
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