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Third round of the Capital One Cup, a nice game is on the cards at the Stadium of Light.
Sunderland finally got rid of Paolo Di Canio after another awful performance in the Premiership over the weekend (0-3 at West Brom). The Black Cats are last in the standings with just 1 point to show for in the first 5 rounds . It`s hard to say if they will look better today under caretaker Kevin Ball in such a short amount of time. They could continue in misery for a while longer or they could finally show what they are capable of.
If Sunderland is having manager problems, Peterborough is one of the most stable teams in England from this point of view. Darren Ferguson (Sir Alex`s son) is in charge for 6 years except a brief departure in 2010. The results have been generally good for the League One side with him at helm but Ferguson`s real impact on the team was his attacking philosophy. Peterborough has always been a super offensive team under Ferguson jr., boosting unbelievable stats in goals/game at some points. Things are not different in this start of the season, with Peterborough scoring 19 times in 8 rounds, while also conceding 8 goals. This is a good team that will most likely achieve promotion to the Championship at the end of this campaign (currently 2nd in League 1).
Sunderland have not played defensive football either, the hosts received an average of more than 2 goals per game in the Premier League so far. In the 2nd round of the Capital One Cup, Sunderland defeated MK Dons 4-2. Sunderland`s last 4 games all finished with at least three goals – the same can be said about Peterborough`s last 3 matches.
Team news are not too bad for either side. Sunderland will be without Steven Fletcher, Peterborough will miss Knight-Percival and Little. The hosts will field pretty much the best available squad, they won`t rest players. Sunderland could take advantage of the missing Peterborough pair in midfield and try to keep most of possession, but they are not able to retain the ball too much at the moment and will be hit on counters by the visitors.
It won`t be a very big surprise if Sunderland loses this against an in-form team, the game could go either way. But betting-wise, this has all the makings of a high scoring game. Peterborough smells blood and will not come here to defend in numbers. They couldn`t do that anyway even if they wanted to, they don`t know how. Sunderland is finally free of Di Canio, the players must be happy, and they will play with increased enthusiasm today. The Black Cats will want to erase the memory of the first 5 rounds with a solid win and performance here. Caretaker manager Ball actually stated that he wants his players to put on an enjoyable display for both themselves and the fans. Expect a fast paced game played mostly on counters, with a lot of goalscoring chances and a safe over 2,5 in the end for the punters. My pick is 2-2 and overtime, probably Sunderland will crawl through in the end.
Pick: over 2,5
Odds: 1.57 @ Pinnacle
Stake: 9
Possible profit: 5.13
Event date: 24 September
Editor Facts
- Rostick won 8 out of the last 11 tips
