Score Predictions: SAFC vs Plymouth
01/25/2025 01:00 AM
After a gritty and slightly surreal midweek victory at Derby, the Lads are back on home turf this weekend — how do we see this one going?
Last time out…
Sunderland secured all three points away at Derby County in the week, but it was a game fraught with controversy regarding the officials...yet again.
The Lads settled after ten minutes or so and when Eliezer Mayenda finished well just before the half hour mark, it looked like we might cruise to a win without really moving through the gears.
However, Derby rallied for twenty minutes midway through the second half with their substitutes causing us several wobbles, which woke up the home crowd very effectively.
We rode that out but then saw Wilson Isidor denied a goal for a reason no-one knows in the 78th minute, and it felt like another one of 'those days' may have been upon us.
Thankfully, the defence held fast and we secured the win we needed to stay in touch with our top four peers, who all picked up wins in midweek.
This afternoon, we take on Plymouth Argyle, who are rock bottom, got battered in midweek and have taken a grand total of three points on the road in the league this season. They're also allegedly about to lose even more players in the transfer window.
This is the typical 'banana skin' for us, but we have to show we're not the member of the 'four tops' who'll falter as the games count down and the race for automatic promotion heats up.
'The Champion' Martin Wanless predicts...
Score prediction: Sunderland 3 Plymouth Argyle 0
Sunderland's first goalscorer: Enzo Le Fée
This is a big game for us and I think it'll be more difficult than we might otherwise think.
Plymouth will be determined to right the wrongs of their stuffing at home on Wednesday night, and we may see a more defensive approach.
That said, we're good enough to put them away; we need to put them away and we're more than keen to put them away.
I fancy a strong performance, a comfortable win, and an opening goal from home debutant Enzo Le Fée.
Malc Dugdale predicts...
Score prediction: Sunderland 2 Plymouth Argyle 0
Sunderland's first goalscorer: Dennis Cirkin
This is a typical Sunderland bear trap of a game, and Argyle are going to park every bus they travel up on after the midweek hammering they took.
Due to those factors, I think this will be a solid and controlled win — much like Oxford —rather than a cricket score. I don't think Plymouth will go for it, and if they do they could well let in ten goals in four days, as we can be imperious on the break.
Eliezer Mayenda did really well in midweek and he may well get our first today, but Dennis Cirkin is getting forward well right now and should've hit the target early in the Rams game, so I'll go for him.
I do think Wilson Isidor will get one, and the reception he'll get when it goes in, as well as the cheers the fans will have for him at full time, will be no less than the lad deserves after his recent experiences, including that shocking decision from the officials at Pride Park.
A steady win, a controlled game, no injuries and a couple of nice goals for three welcome points. Not a lot to ask for!
Jack Howe-Gingell predicts...
Score prediction: Sunderland 4 Plymouth Argyle 0
Sunderland's first goalscorer: Wilson Isidor
If I keep willing the lad on, he'll score.
I'm delighted we bounced back with a win on Tuesday but the officials did their best to make a meal of it, ruling out a perfectly acceptable goal for unfathomable reasons.
However, Wilson Isidor kept his head up where plenty of players would've crumbled and he was unlucky not to get straight back on the horse. Conversely, it was fantastic for Eliezer Mayenda to get back on the scoresheet with a composed finish.
Plymouth are in a sorry state and it's another great opportunity to get stuck into a team down at the bottom.
I'd really like us to have fun and come away with a hatful of goals. I think we're seeing the benefits of someone like Enzo Le Fée sprinkling quality on the team, and I'm sure more goals will follow.
Alongside that, you have first teamers in Milan Aleksić and Ian Poveda scoring for the U21s, showing that we have more quality waiting in the wings with even more players getting closer to returning.
We've weathered a tough spell and surely as we get players back, we'll get even stronger!
A likely wild weather weekend will not dampen the wizards as we march on yet again.
Will Jones predicts...
Score prediction: Sunderland 3 Plymouth Argyle 0
Sunderland's first goalscorer: Wilson Isidor
Let's be honest: if we don't win this one, we might as well pack it in and start preparing for another slog in the Championship next season.
Plymouth are in free fall: bottom of the league, no wins since Bonfire Night, and their away form? 'Abysmal' doesn't even cover it, with zero wins, three goals scored, and a jaw-dropping thirty five conceded.
You almost feel sorry for them, but sympathy stops when the whistle blows.
This is Sunderland, and while we've been guilty of making things difficult for ourselves in the past, there's no excuse for anything but a convincing win here. The Lads have shown resilience in recent weeks, and with a buzzing Stadium of Light behind them, it's the perfect chance to keep the momentum rolling.
Wilson Isidor is surely due a goal.
It's been frustrating watching him come so close, but his work rate and movement have been excellent and I'm backing him to finally break his duck and open the scoring, setting the tone for a commanding performance.
With players like Enzo Le Fée pulling the strings and Jobe Bellingham growing into a real force, we've got the tools to dismantle this Plymouth side.
Fair play to any Argyle fans making the trip, but it's going to be a miserable day out for them; Sunderland to dominate, put on a show, and keep ourselves firmly in the promotion hunt.
Anything less, and we'll all be tearing our hair out again.
Matty Foster predicts...
Score prediction: Sunderland 3 Plymouth Argyle 0
Sunderland's first goalscorer: Wilson Isidor
Plymouth's hope of a 'new manager bounce' has gone down like a fart in an elevator and they find themselves cut adrift at the very bottom, with little to no signs of improvement.
They've not won in the league since early November and have possibly the worst away form I've ever seen. Zero wins, only three goals scored and thirty five conceded, so fair play to any Argyle fan making the 800+ mile round trip in those circumstances.
Combining those stats with our unbeaten home, you'd imagine it would be 'very 'Sunderland of us to gift them a 0-3 win, but I have confidence in the Lads that won't be the case today.
We may not win as convincingly as many will hope, but the important thing is to win and keep ourselves in the four-horse race.
Isidor to score first and finally get his goal after the Derby debacle!
Bomber Davies predicts...
Score prediction: Sunderland 2 Plymouth Argyle 0
Sunderland's first goalscorer: Enzo Le Fée
If they hadn't taken a pasting in the week, I'd have been much more on board with a 4 or 5-0 win prediction, but they'll be desperate to avoid a repeat of the Burnley embarrassment.
I don't think there's any danger of it being anything other than a home win, but I feel it'll be much like the Derby game.
New boy Le Fée has been great so far in red and white, and I fancy him to open his Sunderland account at the weekend — possibly from a set piece.
Sheffield United will have already played and hopefully dropped points for an added incentive.
Gary Winter predicts...
Score prediction: Sunderland 3 Plymouth Argyle 0
Sunderland's first goalscorer: Wilson Isidor
It was great to get a win on the road against Derby and it should've been more comfortable than a single goal.
We've put together a nice run of results and we mustn't show any complacency against a poor Plymouth side, particularly with some tough-looking fixtures over the next few weeks.
Plymouth haven't won in their last fourteen league games and have taken a fair few thumpings this season.
It's quite baffling that we lost to these back in September, so I'm hoping we can dish out a proper beating as it's something (Sheffield Wednesday aside) we don't tend to do.
Since we can't score penalties and we also get perfectly good goals disallowed, I'll keep my prediction to 3-0.
Isidor cruelly saw a much-needed goal ruled out on Tuesday night, but he can overcome this in front of a supportive home crowd.
Brett Lyons-Davis predicts...
Score prediction: Sunderland 4 Plymouth Argyle 0
Sunderland's first goalscorer: Jobe
Docked predictions points, bottom of the Predictions League and screwed over by incompetent Championship referees who stopped me getting a correct score vs Derby. Lovely.
I didn't even pay attention to Plymouth vs Burnley, as Burnley were always going to win the game without conceding and James Trafford was bound to do something to piss everyone off.
After their defeat, it leaves Argyle bottom of the league, with no wins in the league since 5 November. If we don't beat these pasty munchers who spend far too much time worrying if you put jam or cream on a scone (pronounced 'scowne') first, we don't deserve to go up.
Jobe probably won't score first but I'll put him down, and we probably won't win 4-0 as I'm predicting, but we should win in convincing fashion.
However, we'll probably lose in a typical Sunderland way as the team at the bottom of the league does the double over us.
Last game predictions
Lots of optimism abound ahead of the trip to Derby, and rightly so, although we made hard work of getting over the line at times.
Malc was once again the only beneficiary from another strange set of circumstances, getting three points for calling a 0-1 away win — which every man and his dog knows should've gone down as a 2-0 victory.
A total of four lads would've got three points if that goal had stood: Brett, Gary, Bomber and Will.
Unlucky, boys.
Everyone other than Malc got a point for the correct outcome, and no one picked Mayenda as the first scorer, so no points there either.
Latest standings
Malc extends his lead at the top of the table to five points, so is ahead of the pack by more than a perfect four-point prediction for the first time.
Everyone else stays as was but plus one point.
Brett, meanwhile, remains desperate for something.
How the points are awarded
Just a quick reminder of how we allocate points to our match-by-match predictions:
- Correct score = Three points
- Correct outcome (but not correct score) = One point
- Correct first Sunderland goalscorer = One point (no goalscorer is a valid call)
- Possible deductions for being lazy and not submitting on time = yellow card warning, then a two point deduction.
