Sunderland V Wolves Preview

Sunderland head into their final home game breathing a sigh of relief after last weekends victory against Bolton.

Wolves will be well up for this game as survival is the word on every Wanderer’s fans lips. Mick McCarthy will be welcomed back to the Stadium of Light and hoping to grab a crucial three points.

Sunderland have had a torrid run of injuries and will need to completely re-build their squad for next season. We need to hope for another good determined performance to climb into the top ten and finish on a high note.

Steve Bruce:

Bruce said: “I remember that game at Birmingham – Marcus Stewart was sent off late on for Sunderland. Everyone had known for weeks that they were going down but it was losing to us that made it official.

“But it will be different tomorrow because Wolves had a terrific win at the weekend against West Brom, which lifted them out of the bottom three and gives them a fighting chance of avoiding relegation.

“It`s in their hands – they know that if they win both their remaining games, they will stay up.

“But we want to make sure that they don`t win tomorrow and that if they do stay up, they do it without beating us.”

“I`ve got a lot of time for Mick and I think a lot of the fans up here do too,” said Bruce.

“He is a genuinely decent man and when he was at this club, it was in a very different situation financially to the one it is today.

“We know what kind of team Mick will bring. He will have a team that is up-and-at-you and he will demand that they have a go – just as he did when he was a player.

“As a player he was always fiercely competitive and very hard to beat, and his Wolves team mirrors his personality.

“Everybody will know that Mick, coming back here, will want to turn us over and beat his old club.

“People might look at our last two games against Wolves and West Ham and see where those clubs are in the table and think we should beat them easily, but it isn`t necessarily so.

“They are fighting for their lives at the bottom of the table and both our last two games will be very tough for that reason.”




TEAM NEWS: SAFC

In the latest of the long list of injuries we will be without Anton Ferdinand who pulled his hamstring against Bolton last weekend.

This will see another reshuffled back four and Elmo may be drafted into right back as Nedum slots alongside Mensah at the back.

Sunderland may use a few youth players such as Knott and Noble and hopefully they can show everyone their ability in this game.

SAFC PLAYER TO WATCH: SESSGNON

His last game against Bolton was his finest as he battled against Knight and Cahill and set up two vital goals for his new club.

If he is given time on the ball and decent service he could cause problems for the nervy Wolves defence this weekend.

TEAM NEWS: WOLVES

Wolves manager Mick McCarthy will be looking to bring back dangerman Kevin Doyle and Matt Jarvis for this massive game for the Midlands club.

WOLVES PLAYER TO WATCH: JAMIE O’HARA

I have always been a big fan of this little midfielder and we have to try and keep him quiet if we want to win the game.

He can score from outside the box and also be a handful for any defender as he moves forward to link up the play.

MATCH STATS:

Sunderland have won their last four home matches against Wolves and are unbeaten in their last seven meetings on Wearside.

Wolves have the worst away record in the division, earning a mere nine points from 18 matches.

REFEREE AND ASSISTANTS:

Referee: Mark Jones

Assistant referees: Stuart Burt & Andy Newbold

Fourth official: Neil Swarbrick

PREDICTIONS:

Sunderland 1 – 0 Wolves

I feel this will be a nervy game and we will catch Wolves on the break in the second half.

NEXT FIXTURE: WEST HAME (A)

Sunderland could dent both Wolves and West Ham’s survival hopes as we play The Hammers in the final game of the season.