Sunderland host Fulham at the Stadium of Light on Sunday.
Both the Black Cats and their visitors are bidding to arrest disappointing downturns in form of late, with Regis Le Bris’ men suffering back-to-back defeats in their last two Premier League outings against Arsenal and Liverpool, and the Cottagers having lost four of their last five top flight fixtures.
Marco Silva’s side did, however, beat Sunderland in the reverse fixture at Craven Cottage back in November, with Raul Jimenez scoring late on in the contest to secure all three points.
But looking ahead to this weekend’s clash, Carragher has forecast a point apiece on Wearside, with a 1-1 draw on the horizon. Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of the next Premier League fixtures, the pundit said: "Leeds could prove tricky for Aston Villa on Saturday, and will take points away from Villa Park. Liverpool put Nottingham Forest in further relegation danger with a win on Sunday morning, while Sunderland and Fulham share the spoils. Sunday afternoon hosts one of the biggest North London Derby in years for Arsenal, and I think they temporarily silence the critics with a win against Spurs.”
What else has been said about Sunderland vs Fulham?
Carragher is not the only pundit who believes that Sunday’s match will end in a 1-1 draw. Both Paul Merson and Chris Sutton have also opted for the same scoreline in their own respective predictions.
Speaking to Sportskeeda, Merson said: “Sunderland got well beat by Liverpool, but managed to get back on track with a win in the FA Cup. When I look at their opponents this weekend, they face a funny team.
“Fulham had good chances against Manchester City, but lost. Dominated Everton and lost. They also lost to Manchester United in the last minute after coming back from 2-0 down! So Fulham are not a bad team, it's just that the results are not coming from them.
“Sunderland will be affected by that loss to Liverpool. It was the first time they got destroyed at home this season. They are missing Granit Xhaka in midfield. Sunderland struggle to keep the ball without Xhaka and he's been a big miss for them. I expect a draw here.” The pundit has predicted a 1-1 draw.
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For his part, speaking to BBC Sport, Sutton stated: “Sunderland's form has dropped off a little bit in recent weeks but they have still had a phenomenal season and are probably safe already on 36 points - now they just have to see it through.
“It will be interesting to see how Regis Le Bris' side respond to their first home defeat of the season, but Fulham are hardly on a great run either with three straight league losses. Marco Silva's side beat the Black Cats at Craven Cottage in November, and will leapfrog them in the table if they win this time too - but I don't think that will happen.”
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