Coventry City v Sunderland result predicted by supercomputer
Sunderland travel to rivals Coventry City in the first leg of the Championship play-off semi-final on Friday.
It will come as welcome relief to finally be able to concentrate on the playoffs, which have been guaranteed for over a month, following a dismal end to the league campaign which ended with a 1-0 loss to QPR on the final day.
The two sides looked to be set to avoid each other before Saturday’s final matches, but the Sky Blues secured a fifth-placed finish on the final day to host the Black Cats at the CBS Arena on 9 May.
The fact that it’s bitter rivals Coventry will only stoke their enthusiasm to turn their form around, with Sunderland already confirming they have sold out the away ticket allocation.
Sunderland the underdogs according to supercomputer
History does not look back kindly on Sunderland’s record against Coventry, with the Tyneside club succumbing to a chastening 3-0 defeat back in March.
Often referred to as their bogey team, it would take a monumental effort for Regis Le Bris‘ men to get a positive result from the first leg, especially given their recent shortcomings in the league.
Opta mirrors that sentiment, giving Sunderland a mere 25.7 per cent probability of securing a win, marginally lower than the 25.8 per cent predicted chance that the game finishes in a draw.
With the odds of a Coventry victory calculated at 48.5 per cent, the Mackems would likely take any positive result going into this tie.
| Position | Club | Points Total |
| 1st | Leeds United | 100 |
| 2nd | Burnley | 100 |
| 3rd | Sheffield United | 90 |
| 4th | Sunderland | 76 |
| 5th | Coventry City | 69 |
| 6th | Bristol City | 68 |
The winner of the two-legged affair will progress to face either Sheffield United or Bristol City at Wembley for the chance of clinching Premier League promotion.
Le Bris has chance to solidify his status
Le Bris earned plenty of praise for his achievements with the young Sunderland squad this season, producing a compelling team which brought excitement back to the North East.
Recent form, culminating in five straight defeats in a row, has massively dampened the mood around Sunderland, although injury to Romaine Mundle amongst others has played a crucial role.
Nonetheless, recent poor form will be forgiven if Le Bris can navigate his side back on course and help them return to England’s top tier for the first time since 2017.