Sunderland and Rotherham United will both fight for first wins of the Championship season on Saturday, when they meet at the Stadium of Light.
The hosts have lost both of their opening two games in England's second tier, while their visitors were held to a 2-2 draw last weekend for their first point of the campaign.
Match preview
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Sunderland headed into the new Championship season hoping to build on a particularly positive campaign last time around, in which they followed up a promotion back to the second tier with a top-six finish under the management of Tony Mowbray, having eventually been denied back-to-back promotions by a 3-2 aggregate defeat to Luton Town in the playoff semi-finals.
With plenty of positives to take from that first season back in England's second tier, the Black Cats turned their focus to the new campaign and began at home to newly-promoted Ipswich Town, but that curtain-raiser did not go to plan as they eventually fell to a 2-1 defeat, having gone two goals down following finishes from Nathan Broadhead and George Hirst.
Their task was then made even tougher as Trai Hume was sent off 18 minutes from time, and although Dan Neil did pull one back in the 86th minute, Mowbray's men were unable to find a leveller and came away empty-handed, before then hosting Crewe Alexandra in the EFL Cup and dropping out in a penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw in 90 minutes, as Chris Rigg levelled the scores around the hour mark after Luke Offord put their visitors head.
Then turning their focus fully back to their Championship pursuits, the Black Cats most recently travelled to take on Preston North End in their second league outing of the campaign last Saturday, and they would go behind for the third consecutive time as Will Keane put the hosts ahead, before Jack Clarke quickly won and converted a penalty to draw his side level, only for Mads Frokjaer-Jensen to restore Preston's lead on the hour mark and send Sunderland home empty-handed.
Now as one of just four sides without a point from their first two outings, Mowbray's men will be desperate to get their Championship season properly up and running and start climbing the division with a first three-point haul on Saturday.
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They meet a Rotherham United side who have only managed one point of their own in their first two outings in their bid to again avoid relegation this season.
After six consecutive seasons of alternating promotions and relegations between League One and the Championship, Rotherham were able to maintain their second-tier status under the management of Matt Taylor last time around, eventually finishing 19th with 50 points from their 46 games.
The Millers then kicked off the new season with a tough trip to Stoke City at the beginning of August, and they endured a tough day at the office, eventually suffering a 4-1 beating in Staffordshire in which Ki-Jana Hoever hit a fifth-minute opener and Andre Vidigal netted a first-half brace, before Lee Peltier pulled one back soon after the interval and Jacob Brown wrapped up a dominant display with Stoke's fourth in injury time, after Cafu was sent off 21 minutes from time.
Taylor's men then returned to the New York Stadium to host Morecambe in the EFL Cup first round and advanced by winning a penalty shootout, after playing out a 1-1 draw in 90 minutes thanks to Joshua Kayode's leveller, before meeting Blackburn Rovers in their first home league outing of the season last weekend and going 2-0 up as Hakeem Odoffin and Fred Onyedinma scored either side of the interval.
Onyedinma was then sent off for a second bookable offence with 40 minutes to go and the South Yorkshire outfit were made to pay as Sammie Szmodics hit a quickfire brace in the final 15 minutes to force a share of the spoils at the New York Stadium, and Rotherham United will now aim to bounce back in a tough trip on Saturday and score a first league win of the season.
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Team News
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With key forward Ross Stewart still sidelined by a long-term injury, Sunderland are light for options in attack, and Mowbray could again opt to deploy summer arrival Bradley Dack in a makeshift striker role over Luis Semedo.
Given the lack of a natural striker, plenty of attacking responsibility will again fall on wingers Patrick Roberts and Jack Clarke, who opened his account for the season against Preston, while Alex Pritchard will hope to come in from the outset in the middle of a supporting trio behind the lone centre forward.
That could see Jobe Bellingham move further back into the engine room, likely alongside Dan Neil, while Luke O'Nien and Dan Ballard could again partner up at the heart of the back four.
Rotherham United head into Saturday's contest without Fred Onyedinma, who will serve a suspension after his red card against Blackburn Rovers last time out.
He moved into a winger role in that game as the Millers set up in a more attacking 4-3-3 shape, but with Taylor expected to revert to a back five for their upcoming trip, Dexter Lembikisa will likely start at right wing-back, while Sean Morrison could come in from the start to join Cameron Humphreys and Tyler Blackett in a back three.
Taylor has options in midfield, with Oliver Rathbone, Hakeem Odoffin, Cafu and Ben Wiles all keen to start, and they could all be deployed at the Stadium of light with Wiles lending support to lone striker Jordan Hugill.
Sunderland possible starting lineup:
Patterson; Hume, Ballard, O'Nien, Cirkin; Bellingham, Neil; Roberts, Pritchard, Clarke; Dack
Rotherham United possible starting lineup:
Johansson; Humphreys, Morrison, Blackett; Lembikisa, Rathbone, Cafu, Odoffin, Bramall; Wiles; Hugill
We say: Sunderland 2-0 Rotherham United
Although they are missing their star forward and have lost both league games thus far, Sunderland do still possess plenty of quality and it surely only a matter of time until they get up and running in the Championship.
We envisage them putting up a first victory of the campaign on Saturday, with the Millers not expected to cause them too many problems on the road.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Sam Varley
