The patchy form of both sides makes for an intriguing contest, one that a fair few punters expect to finish all square; a result bet365 offer at 12/5 and Partybets' 11/2 for the final score to be one-each is also set to be well backed.

However, the Hammers struggle on the road so the Black Cats are classed by Jaxx.com as slender favourites at odds of 6/5 with the visitors a 5/2 chance, courtesy of Blue Square.

This suggests that Roy Keane's men could shade a tight encounter and with this in mind, a decent case can be made for the 11/4 that Betdirect mark against a one-goal winning margin in favour of Sunderland.

Consequently, Canbet's 8/1 for the Black Cats to finish on the right side of a 2-1 scoreline offer punters a strong chance of pocketing a profit, alongside the 4/1 on offer at Betdaq for the showdown to be even at the interval, but ultimately end in a home win, though the cautious may prefer Sportingbet's 3/10 for Keane's charges to simply steer clear of defeat.

Last week's matchwinner, Djibril Cisse, meanwhile, is 5/1 (Betfred) to break the deadlock in this one.

Two points from six away matches is not an ideal record for Newcastle to take to league leaders Chelsea and given that the hosts have lost just once at Stamford Bridge since February 2004, punters won't be surprised to learn that they are odds-on favourites at 2/9 with Betfred while United are as high as 14/1 with bet365.

In the circumstances, a draw, chalked up by Victor Chandler at 5/1 would be an excellent result for Joe Kinnear's men who are a huge 12/1 with Betdirect to keep the score at one-apiece and 9/1 (Coral) to ensure the contest is all square when each half comes to an end.

As such lengthy underdogs, the Magpies are handed a handicap head start of a goal by Jaxx.com at odds of 31/10 while cautious types can also back Kinnear's troops at 11/10 (Partybets) just to find the net in West London.

Blue Square quote the clash at 9/4 to be level at the interval and the supremely confident can take this a little further by backing Newcastle at 40/1 with bet365 to prevail on the back of that drawn first period.

Also catering for the bold are Canbet who offer 33/1 for the Magpies to finish on the right side of a 2-1 scoreline and Sportingbet, who quote an Obafemi Martins opener at 12/1.

Odds supplied by www.betrescue.com

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