Sunderland promotion chances updated by supercomputer after Millwall win
Sunderland kept their Premier League promotion hopes alive with a 1-0 win over Millwall on Saturday.
A first-half goal from Trai Hume was enough to secure all three points, despite Luke O’Nien missing a penalty late on.
With just seven games remaining in the EFL Championship season, Sunderland look destined to finish in the play-off spots, which will hand them a huge opportunity to go up.
The Black Cats have not played in the Premier League since 2017, but they may be set to return if they can end this campaign strongly.
Opta predicts outcome of Sunderland promotion push
Opta have predicted the final Championship table following Sunderland’s vital victory over Millwall, and there are certainly good signs.
They have now claimed that Sunderland have a 99.9 per cent chance of finishing in the play-off places, with the Black Cats 15 points clear of Middlesbrough in seventh place.
This would hand Regis Le Bris a clear path to the Premier League via the play-offs, but this is where it becomes tricky for Sunderland.
| Opposition | Home/Away |
| West Brom | Away |
| Norwich | Away |
| Swansea | Home |
| Bristol City | Away |
Burnley are in third place, right on the tale of Sheffield United and Leeds United, and whichever of those three teams finishes in third would be favourites to win the play-offs.
Opta have predicted that Sunderland have a 0.1% chance of reaching the automatic promotion spots, meaning their fate will almost certainly be determined by the play-offs.
Do Sunderland have an advantage in the Championship play-offs?
Sunderland do find themselves in a unique position in the Championship table, and one which would hand them an advantage heading into the play-offs.
With Burnley set to battle for an automatic spot until the final day, they will have to be at their best in the remaining seven games of this season.
Likewise, Coventry City and West Brom both have little room for error if they are to beat Middlesbrough for the final play-off places.
Sunderland are so far ahead of Coventry that their play-off spot is in no danger, but are too far behind Burnley to push for a higher finish.
This means that in the final weeks of the campaign, Le Bris can afford to rest key players, with Sunderland able to rotate and keep their squad fresh for the play-offs, while their competitors will be at full throttle and at risk of burnout once the league season ends.