Blackburn Rovers will look for back-to-back wins in the EFL Championship when they travel to Sunderland. The visitors are sitting third in the league table and are looking for a promotion. Their opponents sit in 13th place and are trailing their opponents by nine points. Both teams have performed decently this season. We now look at some of the stats that could predict the outcome of the match.
Sunderland have a record of eight wins, seven draws, and seven losses this season. They have scored 31 goals with an average xG rate of 1.15 and conceded 26 with an average xGA of 1.38. The Black Cats have failed to win their last two matches.
Blackburn Rovers have won 13 matches and lost ten this season. They are coming off a 2-0 win over Norwich City in the last round. Rovers have scored 27 goals and conceded 26 this season. They average 0.88 xG and 1.36 xGA per match.
The above viz compares the percentile rank of both teams with each other as well as other teams in the EFL Championship. It can be observed that Sunderland have the edge over their opponents in most of the departments. Both teams average around 50% ball possession, but Blackburn Rovers like to pass the ball more than their opponents. Sunderland are a high-pressing side and have done well to apply pressure on their opponents this season.
The attacking efficiency
Sunderland have the highest positional attacking efficiency in the league. The Black Cats average 27.13 positional attacks and 1.87 counterattacks per match. Blackburn Rovers are slightly on the lower side for creating positional attacks. They create 22.83 positional attacks and two counterattacks per match.
Sunderland players take 10.87 shots per match with a 33.2% shot accuracy rate. The home team players have taken a lot of shots from outside the penalty box. However, most of the goals have been scored from inside the penalty box.
The visitors take fewer shots than their opponents. They attempt 8.65 shots with a 35.7% accuracy rate. Rovers like to attack more from the left side and this can be noticed by looking at the shots taken by them from that particular side.
Recovery in dangerous zones
Sunderland’s pressing in the attacking zones has allowed them to make ten recoveries per 90 minutes inside the opposition’s half. Rovers, on the other hand, are ranked the lowest for making such recoveries.
Sunderland players make 86.65 recoveries per match. The above viz shows that the Black Cats have made 205 high regains. One of the interesting facts is that most of the dangerous recoveries have been made in the attacking third.
Blackburn Rovers make 83.26 recoveries per match. They have made fewer recoveries in the attacking half but most of the dangerous recoveries have been made in the final third. Sunderland have an edge over their opponents when it comes to recovering the ball in dangerous zones.
Key Players
Ross Stewart came off the bench in the last match to score his sixth goal of the season. The forward has only played eight matches and also has three assists to his name. Stewart likes to take his chances from inside the penalty box. He will carry the main threat for the home team.
Ben Brereton Diaz provided his third assist in the previous round. He also has nine goals in 23 league appearances this season. The striker is the main threat for Sunderland’s defence in this match.
Team news
Danny Batth is likely to miss this match after suffering an injury in the previous match. Ross Stewart is expected to start this match after coming off the bench in the last one.
The visitors were without Sam Gallagher, Daniel Ayala, and Tyler Morton for the midweek cup match. The manager also rested some of the key players in that match.
Blackburn Rovers will look for back-to-back wins in this match. Sunderland is also winless and will be hungry for three points. This might be a high-intensity contest, and neither side can afford to drop points in this match.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine
