Sunderland host Liverpool in the Premier League on Wednesday evening
Former England international Joe Cole has lavished praise on Sunderland ahead of their Premier League clash with Liverpool on Wednesday night, hailing the Black Cats for their “phenomenal” style of play and recruitment strategy.
Regis Le Bris’ men are bidding to move level on points with the defending champions with a win at the Stadium of Light, and will no doubt feel emboldened by their unbeaten home record this term and the fact that they took a valuable point off their visitors when the two teams met at Anfield back in December.
For their part, Liverpool were left reeling after conceding two late goals in a 2-1 defeat at the hands of title-chasing Manchester City on Sunday afternoon, and are currently six points adrift of the top four.
And in an interview previewing all of this week’s midweek Premier League action, Cole took the time to focus on both a mouth-watering clash on Wearside, and Sunderland’s impressive return to the top flight writ large.
What has Joe Cole said ahead of Sunderland vs Liverpool?
Speaking to Radio Times, the pundit - who represented Liverpool for a spell during his own playing career - said: “This is a fantastic game. Sunderland have done such an incredible job. I’m doing this game with TNT Sports. I’m looking forward to it. I always loved playing at the Stadium of Light.
“It was always a great atmosphere back in the day with Niall Quinn and Kevin Phillips. And they’ve got the champions coming up. This is what you come up to the Premier League for – big games like this. The way Sunderland play, the recruitment in the summer, they have just been phenomenal, and the Stadium of Light is the extra factor.”
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What else has been said about Sunderland vs Liverpool?
Cole is not the only analyst to suggest that Sunderland can earn a positive result against Liverpool on Wednesday evening. While Ally McCoist has gone as far as to predict a 2-1 Black Cats victory, the likes of Paul Merson and Chris Sutton are also of the belief that Le Bris’ side can hold their illustrious visitors to a draw.
Reflecting on Sunderland’s last outing - a defeat to Premier League leaders Arsenal over the weekend - the latter told BBC Sport: “I know Sunderland lost at Arsenal on Saturday but I still enjoyed their performance. That might sound odd because they were beaten 3-0 but I still thought the Black Cats were competitive, and they were really physical too. They matched Arsenal for long spells of the game.
“So, Liverpool will know what to expect when they try to become the first team to win at Stadium of Light this season, and this is going to be a very difficult game for them. Slot needs a positive result here, for Liverpool to keep in touch with the teams above them in the race for the top four. My only concern about Sunderland is whether they can bring that same physicality again, but I still don't think Liverpool will win.” Like Merson, Sutton has forecast a 1-1 draw.
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