Bristol City v Sunderland preview: Team news, lineups, supercomputer prediction
Sunderland travel to face Bristol City on Good Friday, in a game that could be replicated in the playoffs in a few weeks.
Sunderland have nothing left to play for ahead of the final four games, having already sealed their spot in the playoffs with a draw against Norwich earlier in the month.
The main focus for Regis Le Bris now will be managing the minutes of his key players while attempting to build momentum.
As for the hosts, they have promotion ambitions of their own and will be looking to secure a huge three points in the race to seal a playoff spot.
Preview
Sunderland have enjoyed an amazing campaign to date, and will be looking to one-up that by securing promotion back to the Premier League.
Their focus on youth has been the driving force behind their success, and to have achieved a spot in the playoffs at this stage of the season is an achievement of its own.
As for Bristol City, they are proving their doubters wrong with Liam Manning in charge, and they look to be one of the teams that will be competing in the playoffs in May, though the next four games will paint a clear picture of that.
Form guide
Bristol City: WLWWD
Sunderland: LWWDL
Team news
Bristol City have very few injury concerns to deal with, with Josh Campbell-Slowey the only player likely to return before the end of the season.
Ayman Benarous is out for the season, while Luke McNally is expected to be out of action until late October with a cruciate ligament injury.
| Injuries | Expected return |
| Dan Ballard | April |
| Jobe Bellingham | April |
| Jayden Danns | Unknown |
| Romaine Mundle | May |
| Dennis Cirkin | April |
| Niall Huggins | April |
| Aji Alese | June |
| Ian Poveda | April |
| Jenson Seelt | May |
As for Sunderland, it is a very different story.
Jobe Bellingham is still sidelined with a minor knock, while longer-term absentees like Dan Ballard, Aji Alese, Romaine Mundle and Dennis Cirkin remain out injured.
Predicted lineups
Bristol City: O’Leary, Vyner, Dickie, Pring, Hirakawa, McCrorie, Knight, Williams, Bird, Earthy, Wells
Sunderland: Patterson, Hume, O’Nien, Mepham, Browne, Samed, Rigg, Aleksic, Roberts, Mayenda, Isidor
Where to watch?
Sunderland’s clash with Bristol City takes place on Friday, 18 April, with the game selected for coverage on Sky Sports + at 3pm GMT.
Supercomputer predicts draw between Bristol City and Sunderland
According to the latest predictions from the Opta supercomputer, a draw is forecasted ahead of their clash with Bristol City.
Sunderland have just a 30.4 per cent chance of all three points, while the hosts have been awarded a 42.9 per cent chance of a win.
A draw is the most likely outcome, with a 26.7 per cent chance.