Sunderland square off against Huddersfield Town on Wednesday night looking to get back to winning ways after losing ground in the Championship playoff race.
At a time when the Black Cats sit in ninth position in the standings, Huddersfield are down in 21st spot, four points above the relegation zone.
Match preview
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Throughout the opening three months of this campaign, Sunderland have been one of the most unpredictable outfits, mixing winning and losing streaks in equal measure.
Before the international break, they collected seven points from games against Norwich City, Swansea City and Birmingham City to move them to within close proximity of the playoffs.
However, they failed to make up further ground at the weekend as they succumbed to a 2-0 defeat at Plymouth Argyle, their third away fixture in succession where they have not troubled the scoresheet.
Plymouth's goals came in the first half and the Black Cats were unable to respond, with a total of four losses having now been posted in seven matches.
Tony Mowbray's side had been struggling at the Stadium of Light, too, but they now have 15 points from a possible 24 at their North East home, giving them reason for optimism ahead of this contest.
That opinion is probably not shared by the Huddersfield fanbase about their own team, a consequence of their only win in 11 games being against lowly Queens Park Rangers.
Darren Moore is likely to be given time to make an impact at the John Smith's Stadium, but eight points from 10 matches is below expectations.
On a plus note, draws were secured against Watford and Southampton in two of their last three fixtures, while their 1-0 defeat at Hull City was courtesy of a last-minute goal.
Contributing in the final third is the standout issue as the Terriers have scored just four goals in seven matches, with defender Michal Helik remaining as their leading marksman with four strikes.
Team News
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Changes are expected to be made to the Sunderland XI with Adil Aouchiche potentially being handed his first Championship start of the season.
Abdoullah Ba and Bradley Dack are also in contention to feature from the start as Mowbray looks for answers after the performance at Home Park.
While Jobe Bellingham has started every league fixture in 2023-24, Mowbray may feel that the teenager could benefit with a game out of the starting lineup.
Moore made five changes to his Huddersfield side for the Southampton draw, and at least one will be required here due to the injury to Kian Harratt.
Yuta Nakayama could return at left wing-back, while Delano Burgzorg is an option further down the flank with Josh Koroma switching into a central position.
Sunderland possible starting lineup:
Patterson; Hume, O'Nien, Ballard, Huggins; Roberts, Neil, Ekwah, Aouchiche, Clarke; Dack
Huddersfield Town possible starting lineup:
Maxwell; Pearson, Helik, Lees; Jackson, Kasumu, Hogg, Nakayama; Thomas, Koroma, Burgzorg
We say: Sunderland 2-0 Huddersfield Town
With a draw versus Southampton under their belts, Huddersfield will be optimistic about their chances of earning something from the Stadium of Light. However, we can only back a home victory here, potentially with a clean sheet in the process.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Darren Plant
