The hosts, who sit in fifth place in League One, will aim to go above their opponents with a victory, while Sunderland are a place higher and are just two points adrift of top spot.

Match preview

Rotherham United manager Paul Warne pictured on April 27, 2021 © Reuters

Rotherham have accumulated 27 points this term, and they head into Saturday's encounter unbeaten in their previous 10 fixtures in all competitions.

The Millers swept aside MK Dons last weekend, with Michael Ihiekwe, Michael Smith and Freddie Ladapo all scoring to guide their side to a 3-0 victory.

Paul Warne's side then put five past Manchester City Under-21s in midweek in the EFL Trophy, courtesy of a Kieran Sadlier hat-trick, with Will Grigg and Jake Hull also scoring to clinch a 5-0 win.

They may be in fine goalscoring touch, but they have also been strong defensively, conceding only one goal in their previous five league games.

Heading into the weekend, The Millers will be hoping they can continue an impressive six-match unbeaten home run in all competitions.

Sunderland manager Lee Johnson after the match on September 21, 2021 © Reuters

Sunderland had a memorable week, with The Black Cats winning 3-1 on penalties in the EFL Cup after their contest with Queens Park Rangers finished goalless in regular time.

After reaching the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup, Sunderland will turn their attention back to League One, where they will look to get back to winning ways after suffering a 1-0 defeat last weekend at the hands of Charlton Athletic.

Jayden Stockley's goal in the second half was enough to condemn Sunderland to defeat, and as a result, they saw their 100% home record this season come to an end.

Manager Lee Johnson will be hopeful that his side can continue their promising away form, with Sunderland looking for their third consecutive away league victory at the weekend.

If they are to collect the three points, then Ross Stewart could be crucial for the visitors, having scored nine league goals this season.

Rotherham United League One form:

Rotherham United form (all competitions):

Sunderland League One form:

Sunderland form (all competitions):

Team News

Sunderland's Nathan Broadhead celebrates scoring their first goal against Wigan Athletic in the EFL Cup on September 21, 2021 © Reuters

Grigg will be ineligible to face his parent club, and that could mean a place in the starting lineup for Ladapo.

Ihiekwe came back into the side last week to feature in a back three, and after scoring last weekend, the centre-back will keep his place in the starting lineup.

Sunderland could be without Denver Hume and Nathan Broadhead due to ankle and hamstring problems respectively.

After suffering with a foot injury, Lynden Gooch started his first game since his return in midweek against QPR, and he is set to be in the starting lineup on Saturday.

Johnson's side will also be bolstered by the return of Elliot Embleton, who is available after serving a three-match suspension.

Rotherham United possible starting lineup:
Vickers; Harding, Edmonds-Green, Ihiekwe; Ogbene, Rathbone, Barlaser, Wiles, Ferguson; Ladapo, Smith

Sunderland possible starting lineup:
Hoffmann; Winchester, Flanagan, Doyle, Cirkin; Evans, Neil, Embleton; Gooch, McGeady, Stewart

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We say: Rotherham United 1-1 Sunderland

With very little to choose between the teams, this encounter is expected to be close, and we think neither side will want to give up ground to a promotion rival and as a result the contest will end all square.

Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 3.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.

Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Sunderland win with a probability of 39.02%. A win for Rotherham United had a probability of 34.85% and a draw had a probability of 26.1%.

The most likely scoreline for a Sunderland win was 0-1 with a probability of 9.74%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.48%) and 0-2 (6.65%). The likeliest Rotherham United win was 1-0 (9.1%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.42%). The actual scoreline of 5-1 was predicted with a 0.3% likelihood.