The departure of manager Alex Neil has left Sunderland in a difficult position. The Black Cats will host Rotherham United at the Stadium of Light on Wednesday, with kickoff at 9:45 pm.
Sunderland enjoyed an eye-catching run of form to book their place in the League One playoffs. Eventually, they returned to England’s second tier as they triumphed over Wycombe in the final at Wembley.
The Black Cats would carry that form into the new season as they made a positive start to the Championship term, collecting eight points from the opening five games.
With the Stoke managerial role becoming vacant, Neil was quickly linked with the post in Staffordshire. As a result, they headed into Saturday’s contest at home to Norwich City without him present at the Stadium of Light.
Rotherham United will travel to Lancashire on the back of an impressive start to their campaign, as they aim to secure a second consecutive season in the second tier for the first time since the 2015-16 season. They began with a home game against Swansea City and ended with a 1-1 draw.
This was before their trip to Coventry City was postponed. They followed that up with a first league win, with the Millers thrashing Reading 4-0 thanks to goals from Richard Wood, Conor Washington, Jamie Lindsay, and Chiedozie Ogbene.
Sunderland vs. Rotherham Head to Head
Both sides have four games against each other, taking one win and two draws. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Sunderland 0-1 Norwich City
- Stoke City 0-1 Sunderland
- Sheffield United 2-1 Sunderland
- Sunderland 2-2 QPR
Away
- Rotherham United 2-0 Birmingham City
- Rotherham United 0-1 Morecambe
- QPR 1-1 Rotherham
- Preston North End 0-0 Rotherham
Sunderland Team News
Interim Sunderland manager Martin Canning made few alterations to the 3-4-1-2 setup Alex Neil established. We should not see many changes with defender Dan Ballard and attacker Leon Dajaku remaining out of action through injuries.
Rotherham United Team News
Rotherham United are expected to name an unchanged starting XI for the trip north after new signing Brooke Norton-Cuffy impressed in his first game following a loan move from Arsenal. Captain Richard Wood should continue to command the back line alongside Grant Hall and Cameron Humphreys, although Wes Harding will be pushing to come back in.
Prediction and Odds
Sunderland’s spirits may be low after the departure of Neil, but the Millers should have enough to snatch a point, given their confidence from a strong start.
- Draw
- Correct Score
- Double Chance: Home
