Sunderland face West Ham in the Premier League this weekend

Pundits Paul Merson and Chris Sutton have both backed Sunderland to draw with West Ham when the two sides meet in the Premier League on Saturday lunchtime.

The Black Cats beat the Hammers 3-0 on the opening weekend of the campaign, and have since kicked on to maintain a steady footing in the top half of the table ever since. For their part, the Irons find themselves in the midst of a relegation battle, but did beat Tottenham Hotspur away from home last time out.

And as Nuno Espirito Santo’s men prepare to host Sunderland at the London Stadium this weekend, Merson and Sutton have forecast a sharing of the spoils in the capital.

What has Paul Merson said about West Ham vs Sunderland?

Speaking to Sportskeeda, Merson predicted a 1-1 draw, stating: “What an incredible win for West Ham against Tottenham last weekend. But they must get their act together at home. West Ham have never looked like winning a game at the London Stadium and that's a problem.

“If they manage at beat Sunderland on home turf this weekend, then it's game on in the race to avoid relegation. The Hammers have away games against Chelsea and Burnley coming up after this and they need some momentum. A win here would give them a massive chance of staying up in the Premier League.

“Sunderland are one of the toughest teams to face though. They have lost just once in their last eight games across all competitions. With all their players back from the AFCON, I expect them to get even better.

“I can't see Sunderland losing this game. Who would've thought at the start of the season that we'll be in January and saying this about Sunderland? That's how good they've been. To be fair, both Leeds and Burnley have also impressed me. I'm going for a draw here, but I won't be surprised if Sunderland won this game.”

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What has Chris Sutton said about West Ham vs Sunderland?

Likewise, Sutton has also opted for a 1-1 draw ahead of Saturday’s contest, telling BBC Sport: “Sunderland's 3-0 win over West Ham on the opening weekend really set the tone for both teams' seasons, but it doesn't really help me much here. The Hammers' win at Tottenham last week was extraordinary given their form going into that game, but their home record is still extremely poor.

“Sunderland, meanwhile, are not the same force on the road as they are at the Stadium of Light, and they have not won away since the end of October. Still, it has been such a strange season, with everyone beating everyone, that form, history, tables and stats are not really much help with these predictions anyway.

“In the past few weeks, I have thought too much about AI and gone down the stat route to try to beat it at its own game, but that's not how I won the predictions title in previous seasons. I need to go with my gut instinct more, and that's what I'm doing here.”

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