At this stage in the campaign momentum is an important commodity. As they’ve managed just one Premier League victory in nine, it’s fair to say that momentum eludes Sunderland at present and bookies do not expect them to re-capture it with a victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Gus Poyet’s men are BetVictor’s 19/2 underdogs and the hosts open as Stan James’s slender 2/5 favourites, not least because they’ve lost only twice on home soil this term. The Black Cats played well to secure a point when the sides met at the Stadium of Light earlier in the season and Paddy Power’s 4/1, chalked against it ending with honours even this time, is worthy of consideration.

As it promises to be close, betway’s 6/4 for the opening half to finish on level terms warrants attention.

Skybet’s 4/5 for the match to yield more than 2.5 goals has attracted support, as has the 25/1 (bet365) for Sunderland to finally gain some momentum by emerging victorious following a drawn first half. Alternatively, a 2-1 away success is priced at 25/1 by Ladbrokes and it’s 10/1 (Winner.com) for the opener to be struck by Jermain Defoe.

Newcastle made the worst possible start at Manchester City, conceding in the second minute before suffering a 5-0 mauling but bookies fancy the Magpies to bounce back as they welcome beleaguered Aston Villa to St James’s Park.

William Hill make the Magpies their odds-on, 19/20 favourites to beat the relegation-threatened visitors, BetVictor’s 18/5 underdogs, and it’s 5/2 with bet365 to finish all square, just as it did when the pair met at Villa Park in the reverse fixture.

That was goalless, a result that’s 7/1 via Stan James to be replicated in this one while punters expecting both teams to find the net (evens, Winner.com) can back a score draw at 19/5 courtesy of Ladbrokes.

The visitors however, have failed to win any of their last 11 Premier League matches and have gone five games without a goal on the road so there’s plenty of evidence to suggest a home win.

A 1-0 triumph for John Carver’s men is just 5/1 at Stan James and as Villa are desperately short of goals at present, there’s likely to be plenty of interest in Skybet’s 21/10 about the Magpies registering a victory ‘to nil’. At the other end Papiss Cisse is 11/2 (BetVictor) to break the deadlock.

Middlesbrough won in midweek, edging out Bolton and they’re 6/5 at Stan James to follow up with another victory as they go to Sheffield Wednesday. The Owls have drawn half of their home matches, a statistic that’s sure to nudge punters towards a stalemate at 12/5 (Paddy Power) as well as betway’s 7/1 about a goalless encounter.

However, Wednesday struggle for goals at home so Boro should be able to sneak it and they’re 6/1 courtesy of BetVictor to grab the only goal. Any success for Aitor Karanka’s charges by a one goal margin is an 11/4 chance at Skybet, William Hill rate Boro at 21/10 to defeat the shot-shy hosts and keep a clean sheet while bet365 mark 12/1 against midweek match winner Albert Adomah notching first again.

Despite their home advantage, Hartlepool are Ladbrokes’s 15/8 outsiders to beat Wimbledon (17/10, bet365) and it’s 12/5 at BetVictor for a draw.

Odds supplied by www.betrescue.com

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