Sunderland will look to make it three wins in a row in the Championship when they travel to Blackburn Rovers for their next match on Thursday.
The Black Cats defeated 10-man Norwich City 2-1 in their last Championship match thanks to goals from Danny Ballard and Jobe Bellingham, extending their unbeaten run in the league to four games.
Meanwhile, Blackburn Rovers were defeated 1-0 by Milwall in their previous league outing, bringing an end to their six-game winning streak in the championship.
The Sporting News looks at the key details ahead of this game, including how to watch the match, kickoff times and the latest lineup news.
Blackburn Rovers vs. Sunderland live stream, TV channel
Here’s how to watch this EFL Championship match in the US:
This game is not available for live TV broadcast in the English language in US. Streaming options are available on Paramount+.
What time does Blackburn Rovers vs. Sunderland kick off?
This EFL Championship clash takes place at Ewood Park in Blackburn, England, and kicks off on Thursday, December 26 at 3:00 p.m. local time.
Here’s how that translates across the U.S:
| Date | Kickoff time | |
| Eastern Time | Thu, Dec. 26 | 10:00 a.m. |
| Central Time | Thu, Dec. 26 | 9:00 a.m. |
| Mountain Time | Thu, Dec. 26 | 8:00 a.m. |
| Pacific Time | Thu, Dec. 26 | 7:00 a.m. |
Blackburn Rovers vs. Sunderland lineups, team news
Lewis Travis came out of the Milwall game with a hamstring injury which will see him miss close to two months of action. With his absence in midfield, Blackburn could start with Sondre Trondstad and John Buckley.
Additionally, Blackburn Rovers have multiple injuries in defense with Hayden Carter, Harry Pickering, Scott Wharton, and goalkeeper Balazs Toth sidelined with injuries.
Blackburn Rovers predicted XI (4-2-3-1 right to left): Pears (GK) — Rankin-Costello, Batth, Hyam, Beck — Trondstad, Buckley — Cozier-Duberry, Ohashi, Cantwell — Gueye.
Injured: Travis, Carter, Pickering, Wharton, Toth, Gilsenan, Sigurdsson
Suspended: None
Sunderland will be without the midfield duo of Alan Browne and Salis Abdul Samed for this game, however, they were unlikely to have played ahead of Jobe Bellingham and Dan Neil.
Ahmed Abdullahi, Romaine Mundle, and Tom Watson will also miss this game due to injuries. Additionally, defenders Daniel Ballard, Jenson Seelt, and Niall Huggins will also miss out.
Sunderland predicted XI (4-2-3-1 right to left): Patterson (GK) — O’Nien, Mepham, Hjelde, Cirkin — Bellingham, Neil — Roberts, Rigg, Mayenda — Isidor.
Injured: Browne, Samed, Abdullahi, Mundle, Watson, Ballard, Seelt, Huggins
Suspended: None
Blackburn Rovers vs. Sunderland prediction
Blackburn have won three of their last five games against Sunderland, giving them a slight edge coming into this match.
Both teams have been impressive recently and this game won’t be as straightforward as the two sides’ positions in the standings suggest. Sunderland should emerge victors although by a narrow margin.
Prediction: Blackburn Rovers 1-2 Sunderland
EFL Championship fixture schedule this week
All times ET
Thursday, December 26
- Blackburn Rovers vs. Sunderland (10:00 a.m.)
- Coventry City vs. Plymouth Argyle (10:00 a.m.)
- Sheffield United vs. Burnley (10:00 a.m.)
- Norwich City vs. Millwall (10:00 a.m.)
- Middlesbrough vs. Sheffield Wednesday (10:00 a.m.)
- Oxford United vs. Cardiff City (10:00 a.m.)
- Bristol City vs. Luton Town (10:00 a.m.)
- Preston North End vs. Hull City (10:00 a.m.)
- Swansea vs. Queens Park Rangers (10:00 a.m.)
- Watford vs. Portsmouth (10:00 a.m.)
- Derby County vs. West Bromwich Albion (12:30 p.m.)
- Stoke City vs. Leeds United (3:00 p.m.)
