Good afternoon! Two sides that will be hoping to put some more distance between themselves and the relegation zone go head-to-head at the Stadium of Light this afternoon as Tony Pulis's West Brom take on Gus Poyet's Sunderland. The team's have just been announced, so let's start with a look at the squads.

SUNDERLAND STARTING XI: Pantilimon, Vergini, Reveillere, O'Shea, Brown, Cattermole, Larsson, Johnson, Alvarez, Graham, Defoe

WEST BROM STARTING XI: Foster, Dawson, McAuley, Lescott, Brunt, Morrison, Yacob, Fletcher, Gardner, Ideye, Berahino

SUNDERLAND SUBSTITUTES: Van Aanholt, Bridcutt, Fletcher, Wickham, Gomez, Coates, Mannone

WEST BROM SUBSTITUTES: Myhill, Wisdom, Olsson, Baird, Mulumbu, Sessegnon, McManaman

Gus Poyet has made a host of changes to the side that were knocked out of the FA Cup at the hands of League One's Bradford City last weekend as Lee Cattermole makes his first appearance of 2015 following knee and groin injuries, while Jermain Defoe, Costel Pantilimon, Vergini and Reveillere all return.

Tony Pulis's side had a contrasting time in the FA Cup last weekend, thrashing West Ham 4-0. With no new injuries from that match, the Baggies make just one change to the starting lineup, with the in-form Brown Ideye partnering Saido Berahino up front. Club captain Darren Fletcher is back after missing last weekend's game through being cup tied. There's good news on the bench for West Brom too as Yousouff Mulumbu is back on the bench after overcoming a hamstring injury, while Jonas Olsson, who has not played since September, is also among the substitutes.

Heading into this match, there's just a place separating the two sides, with West Brom sitting 14th, one spot above Sunderland. Regardless of other results today, West Brom won't drop into the bottom three today, as they're four points clear of the bottom three, but Poyet's side a just two points above 18th-placed Aston Villa.

Sunderland will have to be wary of the curse of the ex-player, as two of their old stars feature in West Brom's squad today:

Former #SAFC stars Craig Gardner and Stephane Sessegnon are both named in Albion's squad #SUNWBA pic.twitter.com/BCqTu3m63j

— Sunderland AFC (@SunderlandAFC) February 21, 2015

Gus Poyet has been explaining the changes that he has made to his side to BBC Sport: "For the first time in a while, we have a good squad together, so I would say we've picked a team with the character to play at home and try to win the game. We will see if it works. It's a big game. There are some times in a season when it looks as if you are getting better, and then there are setbacks. We need to make sure we start winning games. There are no excuses. Everything is set, let's try to win the game."

Meanwhile, Tony Pulis admits that he is expecting a difficult afternoon: "It's always a tough game here, and I don't think Sunderland will disappoint us in that respect. We've got to be ready to go. We've had a superb run and we need to keep it going. We will try to stay as solid as we can. We need to be nice and compact. We should gain confidence from our recent games because we've played so well."

Sunderland's only win of 2015 came at the end of last month when they beat Burnley 2-0. Scoring goals has been a problem for the Black Cats all season, with them scoring two or more just five times so far this campaign.

Since replacing Alan Irvine with Tony Pulis, the Baggies have lost just once. Sunderland will be particularly keen to stop Saido Berahino this afternoon, as he scored both of their goals in the 2-2 draw between the two sides on the opening day of the season.

Here's the visiting side making their way out ready for a warmup:

Albion head out for their pre-match warm-up here at the Stadium of Light #SUNWBA #wba pic.twitter.com/CT5rVkIird — West Bromwich Albion (@WBAFCofficial) February 21, 2015

REFEREE WATCH! Mike Jones takes charge of this afternoon's match at the Stadium of Light. The 46-year-old has not officiated a Sunderland match so far this season, but did oversee West Brom's defeat to West Ham in December.

This is a rather ominous stat for Sunderland against a West Brom side that have been growing ever more confident in front of goal under Pulis:

6 - Sunderland have netted just six goals in their last nine Premier League home games. Dark. — OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) February 21, 2015

The good news for both sides is that the conditions at the Stadium of Light this afternoon are forecast to be fair, with a gentle breeze and next to no chance of rain.

Jermain Defoe's fitness remains a concern for the home side as he missed last weekend's match against Bradford, and has missed some time in training this week. The striker has provided some much-needed extra firepower since joining the side in January, so would be a big loss if he can't manage the majority of the match.

With the 3pm kickoffs just around the corner, there's just time to point you in the direction of our other live commentaries, as we've got coverage from the Premier League and La Liga this afternoon.

PREDICTION! The players will be heading back out shortly, so there's just time for a quick prediction. Sunderland have been struggling for goals at home, while West Brom are on a good run, so I'm going for a 2-0 away win this afternoon.

The two teams assemble in the tunnel and make their way out ready for kickoff. In the crowd, there are lots of scarves and banners showing support for manager Gus Poyet, whose position at the club has been questioned given the team's league position.

It's a big cheer from the home supporters to welcome their team. Despite a difficult run, the fans are still fully behind their side at the Stadium of Light.

The two squads and the mascots line up for a pre-match photo, and then they'll be ready to go! Kickoff is just moments away now.

KICKOFF! Sunderland get the match underway!

West Brom try to put the visitors under pressure early on as Wes Brown gives away a throw, allowing Brown Ideye to try to run into the box, but the's crowded out on the edge of the area.

The visitors win a free kick in a dangerous position as Craig Gardner is brought down 25 yards out. However, his delivery into the box fails to clear the ball. It's been a good spell of early pressure from the Baggies, but they haven't really tested Costel Pantilimon yet.

BOOKING! Joleon Lescott picks up an early yellow card as he appears to pull Danny Graham down while chasing down a long-ball forward from Cattermole. Both sides are living, as Sunderland wanted the defender sent off, while Pulis can't understand what his man has done wrong.

CHANCE! Sebastian Larsson whips in the free kick, and it brushes the side netting, causing some fans behind the goal to start celebrating, but it was just wide.

CHANCE! James Morrison has the first effort on target of the day for the visitors as he tries to blast it in from the edge of the area, but it was straight at the Sunderland keeper.

West Brom are starting to dominate the match again as Yacob tries to set up Morrison, but his ball into the box is a bit too high for the midfielder. Craig Dawson pulls the ball back in from out wide moments later, but Berahino is eventually flagged for offside.

Ricardo Alvarez trips Morrison in midfield and earns himself a booking, so that's one for each side now. Meanwhile, there's an injury concern for Ideye, who appears to have taken a knock to the midriff, but he's quickly back on.

Berahino is left in space on the left flank, and manages to get it to Gardner before is goes behind for a corner, and Pantilimon comes off his line to collect the ball back in. The keeper is having to stay alert early on, but he's still yet to make a stop under pressure.

Sunderland are starting to see a little more of the ball as they look to stretch the West Brom defence, but Wes Brown's long ball forward can only force a corner, which Lescott easily heads clear.

Claudio Yacob and Jermain Defoe get into a bit of an exchange in the penalty area, coming to a head when the West Brom man appears to shove the striker over, forcing Mike Jones to intervene, but it's just a talking to for the midfielder.

Sunderland are really starting to put West Brom under pressure now as Cattermole makes a break forward. However, he clatters into Berahino, leaving the striker on the ground and giving away a free kick. Should Cattermole be booked today, he'll be suspended for the next two matches.

It's certainly getting a big heated between the two teams as Alvarez, who has already been booked, hacks down Gardner, but Wes Brown is fouled while trying to defend the free kick.

CHANCE A poor pass from Fletcher is stolen by Defoe, and he bursts forward to set up Alvarez for a shot down the other end, but the midfielder's finish is blasted well high of the crossbar.

BOOKING! Mike Jones continues to be a busy man as Craig Dawson becomes the latest player to go into the book after bundling Adam Johnson down.

Morrison gets the ball back down the other end for West Brom, but he loses out to Larsson on the edge of the box. Sunderland had plenty of men back though, while there was no-one forward in support for the visitors.

Larsson slots the ball forward perfectly or Alvarez before it's eventually flicked on for Defoe. The striker is forced wide but is able to square it in front of goal, but there's no-one there to flick it in.

While there have been a few good shots and promising moves, there still hasn't really been a clear-cut goal-scoring chance yet. Both sides are getting plenty of opportunities on the ball, but they're struggling to keep possession.

Johnson and Morrison battle hard near the corner flag, with the West Brom man eventually giving away the corner, but Foster comes off his line to punch it clear.

Morrison gets involved down the other end as he provides a cross in towards Ideye, but the striker is beaten to the ball by O'Shea, and the danger is cleared.

Tempers flare again as Morrison and Defoe have a bit of a tussle, but the referee quickly steps in to diffuse the situation. While the keepers have had little to do, the officials have certainly been kept busy.

DISALLOWED GOAL! Adam Johnson has the ball in the back of the net as Alvarez lobs it forward, and the midfielder takes a touch before driving it low past Foster, but the assistant's flag was up. Looking at the replays though, it looks like Johnson was actually level, so Sunderland may feel badly done to.

CHANCE! Sunderland are certainly looking the more likely as the game heads into two minutes of stoppage time, resulting in a 20-yard effort from Larsson, which forces the first save of the day from Foster.

Chances were at a premium in the first half but it remains all to play for in the second half as Sunderland and West Brom head into the break level. Adam Johnson thought that he had opened the scoring, but his finish was ruled out for offside. Otherwise, there's been little for other of the keepers to worry about.

Let's look at some of the stats from the opening 45 minutes. Sunderland had more of the ball with 61% of the possession. The hosts had seven shots, but just one was on target, while the Baggies has four shots, just one of which required Costel Pantilimon's intervention.

Three players will need to be careful in the second half as Lescott, Dawson and Alvarez were all booked in the first half. Alvarez in particular need to take care, as he's continued to make fouls since being booked. Lescott's booking was interesting, as the hosts wanted him sent off for denying a goal-scoring opportunity, but the visitors insisted that the defender did nothing wrong.

The players are making their way back out for the second half. Despite the weather forecast, there's been a bit of a shower over the break, so it could be a bit slippy.

RESTART! West Brom get the action back underway!

Claudio Yacob gives away a free kick just seconds after the restart, injuring himself in the process and leaving Larsson to drill it in. It eventually falls to Graham, but his poor first touch allows Foster to gather it.

Brown Ideye was pretty quit in the first half and he tries to make an impact early in the seconds with a quick run down the left before crossing in for Berahino, but Pantilimon rushes out to claim it.

There's no sign of this match improving early in the second half as both sides are still struggling to keep the ball and are making silly errors as Defoe drifts offside while looking for a Cattermole ball forward.

Alvarez plays the ball in, and has teammates forward with him in support, but he rounds Gardner and goes for goal himself instead, leaving O'Shea with an easy block.

After a quiet couple of minutes in midfield, Cattermole fires the ball forward into the box, but he doesn't connect with any of his teammates, leaving Gardner to make the clearance for West Brom.

It looks like the visitors could be forced into a change as Gareth McAuley picks up a knock. He gingerly makes his way to the sideline and it going too try to carry on, but the visitors have subs warming up.

CHANCE! Sunderland continue to see more of the ball and force a corner. Vergini is left unmarked on the edge of the box, leaving him to make his way in for a free header, but he glances it wide.

Morrison tries to break forward for the visitors after a lengthy exchange in midfield, but his move catches out his teammates as well as the hosts, and there's no-one there to help him beat the Sunderland defence.

SUBS! Sunderland make a double change, and it's an attacking one as Steven Fletcher and Connor Wickham come on for Danny Graham and Ricardo Alvarez.

Despite sending some extra firepower on up front, Poyet's side haven't really put the visitors under pressure in this second half. In fact, West Brom have been attacking down the other end more since the fresh strikers' introduction.

Dawson gives away a free on the edge of the box, which Wickham tries last in from out wide, but O'Shea deflects his teammates effort accidentally wide.

SUB! It looks like West Brom could be settling for a point as defender Chris Baird takes the place of midfielder James Morrison.

CHANCE! Sunderland are starting to look dangerous now as O'Shea gets forward to help Fletcher and Wickham get in the middle, but his cross is diverted behind for a corner. Wickham tries to tap it in from Johnson's delivery, but Foster somehow flaps it clear.

It looks like Ben Foster may have picked up a knee injury while scrambling to get Wickham's effort clear. The physio has a good feel of his right knee before getting the England international to test it out. He grimaces a bit, but it looks like he can continue.

West Brom try to keep the ball away from their ailing keeper with Lescott getting forward to cross the ball in towards Berahino, but Johnson is back to head it clear, and Sunderland quickly go on the counter-attack winning a corner.

Brown is forward along with O'Shea as Sunderland try to find the breakthrough from their corner, but the defender's header is well wide. The home side soon win possession back though, and are pushing again.

SUB! West Brom send on another striker as Callum McManaman replaces midfielder Craig Gardner.

SUB! The hosts make their last change as Santiago Vergini, who really hasn't done much all game, makes way for Patrick van Aanholt.

Brunt tries to catch Sunderland out with a quick run down the left flank, but his powerful cross fails to find any of his teammates. Meanwhile, the home fans are starting to head out, they appear to have seen enough.

There are four minutes of stoppage time for both sides to find a late winner. West Brom have a chance as Fletcher is brought down near the sideline 35 yards out.

Brunt blasts it forward from the set piece, but Pantilimon comes off his line to punch it clear.

O'Shea tries a long ball forward to set up Wickham in the final sends, but he can't find the striker.

Well that was far from a classic, but a point for each side moves them further away from the relegation zone with QPR and Aston Villa both losing this afternoon.

That's all from this match, but stick around as we should have reaction from both managers shortly, as well as match analysis and player ratings to come. Thanks for joining me this afternoon. Goodbye.