Sunderland vs Leeds predictions: Championship betting tips and odds

Sunderland vs Leeds predictions

Managerless Sunderland face off against Leeds United at the Stadium of Light in their Championship clash on Tuesday night (8pm, Sky Sports Main Event). 

The Black Cats began life without Tony Mowbray with a victory over West Brom as goals from Dan Ballard and Dan Neil secured the three points on Saturday. 

Caretaker boss Mike Dodds remains in charge against the Whites as the club continues its search for Mowbray’s successor, and he will be keen to make it two wins from two.

However, Leeds will pose a tough task for the Wearsiders after extending their unbeaten run to seven matches with a 2-0 win over Blackburn Rovers last time out. 

Dan James and Crysencio Summerville found the net at Ewood Park to keep Daniel Farke’s side on track in their bid for an immediate return to the Premier League, closing within seven points of the top two. 

Football betting sites have installed Leeds as the favourites to defeat the Black Cats, but the Championship has been anything other than predictable this term. 

We’ll now pick out three betting tips after studying the odds from online bookmakers.

Both teams to score on Wearside 

Sunderland dug out an important win for their play-off ambitions against West Brom at the weekend. The Black Cats’ hierarchy made the bold call to sack Mowbray with the club sitting in ninth place and just three points off the top six after a 1-1 draw with Millwall. 

Mowbray’s comments after that game suggested that there was a disagreement regarding selection behind the scenes, although Dodds made minimal changes for the win over West Brom.  

Sunderland put the Baggies to the sword with relative ease and could have won by further goals had it not been for a poor offside call against Jobe Bellingham, while other players were wasteful in front of the net.

Brandon Thomas-Asante's header caused a few nerves, and although the hosts were able to see out the win, the late goal denied the Black Cats a clean sheet. They’ve kept only one clean sheet in their last 10, which will be a point of emphasis for Mowbray’s successor.  

Leeds will arrive at the Stadium of Light with confidence after another fine performance to claim three points at Blackburn. James and Summerville continued their good run of form with goals in each half for the Whites. 

Farke’s side have only failed to score once in their last 13, which came in the rare blemish of a defeat to Stoke in October. 

Given the quality in the final third from both teams, we could see goals at the Stadium of Light. We’re backing both teams to score at 4/7 with BetVictor. 

Clarke to haunt Leeds? 

Jack Clarke came through the Leeds academy and was a standout for the club in the Championship before his talents were noticed by Tottenham. 

The north London outfit paid £10m for the winger at the age of just 18, but he failed to make the grade in the Premier League and his career stuttered following loan spells around the country. 

Sunderland made the move to sign Clarke on loan in 2022 when in League One, and it has paid dividends. He was part of the team that won promotion through the play-offs, and has gone from strength-to-strength in the Championship.

Clarke was linked with a number of Premier League clubs in the summer, but remained on Wearside and has rewarded Sunderland with an outstanding season to date. 

Clarke has scored 10 goals in the Championship, only Sammie Szmodics and Adam Armstrong have more in the second tier this term.  

Clarke is the focal point of the Sunderland attack, cutting in from the left flank on his favoured right boot. He has attempted 54 shots in the Championship and placed 20 on target, including one in his last outing where he forced Alex Palmer into a fingertip stop. 

He should be motivated to prove a point against his old team, and we’re backing him to register over 1.5 shots on target at 9/4 with bet365. 

Who will be carded at the Stadium of Light? 

Leeds have shirked their reputation from the 1970s and have been one of the best-behaved teams in the Championship, accumulating only 31 yellow cards and one red this term. 

After a poor start to the campaign, Sunderland have regained their discipline in recent weeks and are in the middle of the pack after collecting 42 yellow cards and two reds. 

But, the pace and talent of both teams will present challenges for the players at the back. Patrick Roberts and Clarke for the hosts will pose problems, and equally Summerville, James and Wilfried Gnonto for the Whites.

We’re anticipating a battle between Trai Hume and James down the Leeds right flank. James has drawn 1.2 fouls per game on average this season, while Hume averages 3.4 tackles per game – the second highest in the Championship. 

Hume has collected three yellow cards and is not shy of putting in a hard tackle. 

With our final Sunderland vs Leeds prediction, we’re backing Hume to receive a yellow card at odds of 4/1 with BoyleSports. 

Simon Sinclair is an experienced sports journalist, who has written for national publications for football, cricket, NFL and many more. He contributes tips on a wide range of sports for The Independent.