Sunderland resume their EFL Cup campaign on Wednesday evening taking on Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road (KO 7.45pm).
The Black Cats tasted defeat on Sunday as a resilient display ended in a narrow loss against Tottenham Hotspur, with Harry Kane’ second-half strike denying David Moyes’ side a hard-fought point.
QPR, meanwhile, have suffered back-to-back defeats in the Championship to Newcastle United and Huddersfield Town, with Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink’s side finely poised in 16th.
The Hoops’ last home win came in the EFL Cup against Rochdale as Sandro’s double secured a 2-1 win.
Adnan Januzaj was the hero in Sunderland’s second round outing against Shrewsbury Town at the Stadium of Light, with the Belgian netting a sublime 25-yards strike as time ticked away on Wearside.
However, the 21-year-old will not feature against QPR after being sent off against Tottenham on Sunday.
Jermain Defoe will also miss the game after picking up a knock at White Hart Lane, with Victor Anichebe not ready to return to action and Wahbi Khazri absent due to a sickness bug.
QPR boss Hasselbaink will also make changes following his side’s heavy defeat at Huddersfield Town.
“It’s another tough match,” said the Hoops boss.
“I will have to rest a few players that have a few knocks and will not play, and put some younger players in.”
Sunderland’s last meeting with QPR ended in defeat as first-half strikes from Leroy Fer and Bobby Zamora clinched three points in February 2015, but a rousing end to the season saw the Lads have the final say as they sealed survival and the Hoops suffered relegation from the top flight.
And after losing three consecutive matches against the Championship side, the Black Cats will be hoping for a reverse of fortunes when the sides battle for a place in Wednesday’s draw.
Wednesday’s game will take place at 7.45pm with comprehensive coverage available on safc.com and on Twitter by following @SunderlandAFC.
Supporters can also listen live via the official website with Nick Barnes and Gary Bennett taking you through all the action.
