Pundits Paul Merson and Chris Sutton are in total agreement ahead of Saturday’s Premier League fixture, both forecasting a 1-1 draw between West Ham and Sunderland at the London Stadium.
While the Black Cats dominated the reverse fixture 3-0 in August, Sutton noted that they have struggled for away wins recently, while Merson highlighted the Hammers’ desperate need for home momentum to escape a relegation battle.
Despite West Ham’s recent “extraordinary” win over Tottenham, Merson remained wary of the visitors’ consistency, stating, “Sunderland are one of the toughest teams to face though. They have lost just once in their last eight games across all competitions.”
Sutton, choosing to ignore the statistical anomalies of a chaotic season in favor of his intuition, added, “I need to go with my gut instinct more, and that’s what I’m doing here,” as both experts expect a tightly contested sharing of the spoils in the capital.