Sunderland host Everton at the Stadium of Light on Monday evening.

Jeff Stelling has backed Sunderland to continue their impressive home form with a narrow victory over Everton on Monday evening.

The Black Cats are unbeaten across their opening quartet of Premier League outings at the Stadium of Light this season, picking up three wins and a draw. Indeed, the only points they have dropped on home soil this term came after having a man sent off against Aston Villa last month.

With 10 points from four fixtures, only Arsenal, Bournemouth, and Manchester United boast better home records than Sunderland so far, and the Black Cats’ stellar showings have been a notable factor in them climbing up to fourth in the table after nine matches.

For their part, Everton have struggled on the road this season, and have won just one of their first four away matches. That victory came against bottom side Wolves in late August, and since then, the Toffees have won just once in the Premier League, beating Crystal Palace 2-1 at the Hill Dickinson Stadium earlier this month.

What has Jeff Stelling said ahead of Sunderland’s clash with Everton on Monday night?

And taking all of that into account, Jeff Stelling has tipped Regis Le Bris’ men to maintain their unbeaten record on Wearside with a 1-0 victory on Monday evening. Speaking to talkSPORT, the popular broadcaster said: “Monday Night Football closes out the action as Sunderland take on Everton. Hats off to Sunderland. No luck involved so far for these Black Cats.

“Jimmy Montgomery, Niall Quinn, Kevin Phillips, Darren Bent, Micky Gray, Peter Reid, Jordan Henderson, and the rest, they must all be rubbing their eyes with disbelief when they look at that Premier League table. Could they notch a fourth home win in five? They could. The Black Cats to get the cream against the toothless Toffees.”

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How important are Sunderland’s home support?

Speaking earlier this season about the bond between his new look squad and and their supporters, Black Cats head coach Le Bris said: “It is really positive to have this mindset of going until the end. It is not easy to understand why, but the personality of the players, the consistency of the game model, the quality of the squad, and the connection with our fans - we have many elements to explain this mentality until the end.

“If we can work like that, no matter the scenario or the circumstances after conceding a goal, we will keep pushing, keep working, and keep believing we can win. It is really positive for the squad. The gap is huge, but we need time to bridge it. We need support with new players and healthy competition.”

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