The data behind Sunderland's fierce battles with Portsmouth and what it tells us ahead of this weekend's crucial clash

The two clubs have met seven times in the seasons since, including a dramatic EFL Trophy final at Wembley and a double-header of fiercely contested play-off semi-finals last year.

On the whole, it’s been a mixed bag for the Black Cats, with two wins, two draws, and three losses - if we include that penalty shootout heartbreak in the capital.

But after a relatively slow start to the campaign that has seen them drop points on four occasions already, the feeling on Wearside will be that Kenny Jackett’s men represent a much more manageable challenge than usual when the two sides square up for an eighth time on Saturday.

If Phil Parkinson’s side are to come away with all three points over the weekend, however, they must learn their lessons from the 2-0 defeat they suffered back in February.

Sunderland faced a barrage of Pompey attacks that day at Fratton Park, with the hosts registering 45 positive moves compared to their paltry 21, as per Wyscout.

As point of reference, that was the Wearsiders’ joint-lowest total in all competitions last season.

Given those figures, it’s little surprise that the Black Cats had just five shots, whereas Portsmouth recorded 17.

Similarly, Pompey’s xG was a full 2.28 higher than their visitors’.

But despite that sustained attacking pressure, Parkinson’s men were ultimately undone by two set-pieces.

Both Portsmouth goals came from dead ball deliveries - the first a whipped free-kick from the left flank, and the second a searching corner that evaded everybody in a red and white shirt.

Bearing that in mind, Pompey’s aerial prowess will be a real concern on Saturday.

Back in February, both sides put a similar number of crosses into the penalty area - Sunderland recorded 19, while their hosts managed 22.

But despite the relative closeness of the attempts, there was a real disparity in success rates.

Ten Portsmouth crosses found their men, compared to just four Sunderland deliveries - a difference of 24.4%.

Taking a more holistic view of the game, that gulf is something of an outlier.

The Black Cats actually edged Pompey in terms of possession and passes completed, and lost just one duel fewer over the course of the 90 minutes.

Remarkably, the Wearsiders even won 10 more aerial duels across the pitch as a whole, but looked less dominant when dealing with balls directly into the penalty area.

That will be an issue that Parkinson and his staff are acutely aware of, and in fairness, it appears to be one they have moved to resolve so far this season.

Up until now, the highest amount of successful crosses that a team have registered against Sunderland has been six, and Saturday’s win over Swindon was the first time that a side had managed to equal the number of accurate deliveries that the Black Cats had put in themselves.

Factor in the best defensive record in the division - just one goal conceded, and none from open play - and the hope will be that Parkinson’s men have more than enough mettle to make up for their shortcomings in February’s underwhelming result.

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