This weekend, Sunderland plays Birmingham City in the Championship.
Birmingham City vs. Sunderland is anticipated to be one of the top matches in the second division this weekend.
This game has a lot riding on it for both clubs. Sunderland has to win to get back into the top six after losing to Huddersfield Town in the middle of the week, while Birmingham City wants to close the gap to the bottom three by six points.
In addition, Tony Mowbray, the manager of Birmingham City, will face the team that fired him a few months prior during this match.
Another loss tonight is expected to put some pressure on his counterpart in the dugout, Michael Beale, 43, who has had a rocky start to life at the Stadium of Light.
Sky Sports pundit David Prutton predicted a 2-1 victory for Birmingham City over Sunderland in his score predictions for the Championship games this weekend.
After leading Blues to victory over Blackburn Rovers in the middle of the week, Mowbray would have three wins, two draws, and a losing record from his first six games in command.
Undoubtedly, Mowbray’s victory over his old team would be a major accomplishment. It would also make a strong statement to the Sunderland owners and Beale, who could feel the pressure mount if Sunderland loses tomorrow.
Over the past few weeks, Sunderland supporters’ attitudes towards Beale have significantly changed.
After the Black Cats’ home loss to Hull City last month, the manager of the team faced intense criticism online and in the press, which he couldn’t control.
However, a winning streak of three games, including victories against Plymouth Argyle and Stoke City, relieved a lot of that strain.
Over the last two weeks, Sunderland has shown some excellent play, and it appears that Beale is getting a decent performance out of the players.
However, both the outcome and the performance against Huddersfield were subpar, and if they played similarly tomorrow, supporters would undoubtedly chastise Beale once more.
Neither team is going to have an easy game in this one. However, Beale needs to ensure that his Sunderland team plays like the top six contenders they are when they travel to Birmingham City.
Birmingham City may want to make the match tough and cagey, but Sunderland needs to perform, and a strong victory tomorrow will greatly benefit Beale’s cause.
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