Sunderland only sit a point adrift of the Championship's top-six but are still considered outside bets to finish in a playoff spot. That is according to the analysts at FiveThirtyEight, who predict the Black Cats will finish tenth in their return to the second tier.
Tony Mowbray's side closed the gap on rivals Middlesbrough with a hard-fought derby victory at the Stadium of Light on Sunday. The hosts capitalised upon a red card for Dael Fry to seal a 2-0 win, courtesy of goals from Ross Stewart and Amad Diallo.
The victory means Sunderland are now just a point behind both Middlesbrough and Norwich City. The Black Cats face an FA Cup fourth-round tie at Fulham on Saturday, before returning to league action with a trip to Millwall.
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FiveThirtyEight, a supercomputer which predicts the final standing in the division, have forecast Sunderland to fall five points short of the playoff race. The Black Cats have been predicted to finish with 66 points, but have been given a 22% chance of achieving promotion via the playoffs.
Runaway duo Burnley and Sheffield United are unsurprisingly backed to secure automatic promotion. Millwall are also tipped to finish in the top-six, along with recently relegated trio Norwich, Watford and West Brom.
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