Sunderland's new predicted final Premier League finish after Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest defeats | OneFootball

Opta’s latest model projects Sunderland to finish 12th on 50.64 points in the final Premier League table.

According to Sunderland Echo, the update lands after the Black Cats’ toughest week of an otherwise positive campaign.

They lost late at Aston Villa last Sunday, then were beaten 5-0 by Nottingham Forest at the Stadium of Light on Friday. A Trai Hume own goal set Forest ahead, followed by strikes from Chris Wood, Morgan Gibbs-White, Igor Jesus and Elliot Anderson.

Sunderland had been tipped for a relegation fight following promotion via last May’s Championship play-off final win over Sheffield United. Instead they have exceeded expectations and still hover near the European conversation despite successive defeats.

Opta’s table has Arsenal first on 81.52 points, Manchester City second on 79.35, Manchester United third with 65.75, Aston Villa fourth on 64.27 and Liverpool fifth on 63.99.

Closer to home it places Nottingham Forest 16th on 44.02 and West Ham 17th with 40.16, while Tottenham are 18th on 38.69, Burnley 19th on 23.48 and Wolverhampton Wanderers 20th on 21.40. With four games remaining, Sunderland are in the bottom half yet remain within reach of the top seven.

Source: Sunderland Echo