Sunderland travel to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon
Pundits Chris Sutton and Paul Merson are in agreement that Sunderland will drop points against Crystal Palace this weekend.
The Black Cats have made a stellar return to life in the Premier League in recent weeks, taking six points from their opening three matches, and sitting sixth in the table at the time of writing.
For their part, Palace have endured a tumultuous fortnight following the near-sale of talismanic captain Marc Guehi and increased speculation over the future of FA Cup-winning head coach Oliver Glasner. Nevertheless, they are unbeaten in the league this season, with two draws and a victory to their name, and both Sutton and Merson believe that they will have too much for Sunderland at Selhurst Park on Saturday afternoon.
What has Chris Sutton said about Crystal Palace vs Sunderland?
Speaking to BBC Sport, Sutton predicted a 1-0 win for the hosts, stating: “It was huge for Crystal Palace to keep hold of defender Marc Guehi, despite Liverpool's efforts to sign him on deadline day. Fair play to Guehi for the way he conducted himself through that transfer saga - I have a lot of admiration for him.
“I should have gone with the Eagles to beat Aston Villa last time out because of their recent results against Unai Emery's side - they played them four times last season, winning three and drawing the other. I am not going to make the same mistake this time. Palace are missing the injured Adam Wharton and Ismaila Sarr but their boss Oliver Glasner has a knack of making his side extremely effective no matter who is missing.
“Sunderland have done brilliantly to win their first two home games and I can see them making this quite tight, but I think they will have to wait a bit longer for their first point on the road.”
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What has Paul Merson said about Crystal Palace vs Sunderland?
For his part, Merson has forecast a 2-0 Palace victory in his weekly predictions column for Sportskeeda. He said: “Sunderland have been amazing. I didn't see them beating Brentford after conceding first, but what an incredible turnaround! I must admit they were a bit fortunate though. If Brentford scored that penalty, it would have been a different game. But Sunderland deserve credit for being strong at home and getting two wins so far.
“Now they go to Crystal Palace, which is a tough place to visit. I actually think Palace are really underrated. On their day, they can trouble any team in this division. If you get six points off them in a season, you have done a terrific job!
“I don't think the failed transfer to Liverpool on deadline day will have a huge impact on Marc Guehi's performances. He has been a true professional in terms of how he has behaved in recent weeks. I think it's unfair that people who complained like Alexander Isak got the move, while Guehi did not. But I don't think he will ruin his image by behaving in the wrong way now.
“Sunderland have been brilliant, but Palace are way better than what people think and they will get the three points here.”
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