Sunderland head back on the road this Wednesday night, looking to continue the unbeaten start to the Sky Bet Championship season with a visit to Sheffield United (KO 8pm).
The Lads head to South Yorkshire in sixth place having picked up one win and two draws from their opening three league fixtures, with their hosts sitting 10th with a point fewer at this early stage.
Team news
Alex Neil’s team selection is rocked this week by the confirmation of Dan Ballard’s fractured foot, which forced him off in the opening stages of Saturday’s draw with QPR. The central defender will be ruled out for the foreseeable future. Luke O’Nien, Bailey Wright and Aji Alese will all look to be vying for a starting berth.
Carl Winchester has been sidelined with a lower back issue, whilst Leon Dajaku is not yet fit to return to contention.
The five goals in two games scored by recently formed front duo Ross Stewart and Ellis Simms could again feature at Bramall Lane, following their impressive starts to the campaign.
Opposition
Sheffield United have just stepped into their second straight season at Championship level, as their attempt to return to the Premier League at the first time of asking last season saw them fall short at the Play-Off semi-final hurdle to eventual winners Nottingham Forest.
Six seasons in League One were put to an end in ruthless fashion during 2016-17 as the Blades stormed to a 100-point term under Chris Wilder, who would eventually then guide them to the top flight. A remarkable ninth-place finish followed, before their relegation in 2020-21.
Current boss Paul Heckingbottom took the reins last year after an initial interim spell in charge. On the books of Sunderland as a young player and having played predominantly in the North East and Yorkshire, his management career has taken him to Barnsley, Leeds United and Hibernian before arriving at Bramall Lane.
A huge total of 143 competitive meetings have taken place between the two clubs, with the Lads winning 66 to United’s 51 – including the last visit in 2019, when Max Power hit the decisive strike in the Carabao Cup.
Around the grounds
Tuesday (7:45pm unless stated)
Birmingham vs Watford
Bristol City vs Luton
Burnley vs Hull
Coventry P-P Wigan
Norwich vs Huddersfield
Preston vs Rotherham
Swansea vs Millwall
QPR vs Blackpool (8pm)
Wednesday (8pm unless stated)
Stoke vs Middlesbrough (7:45pm)
Reading vs Blackburn
West Brom vs Cardiff
Tickets & coverage
Tickets are now off sale for Wednesday night’s visit to Sheffield United – there will be no sales on the night.
This match will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Football. As a result, SAFSee streaming will be unavailable to viewers both in the UK and overseas.
Social media coverage will be active via the club’s official accounts on Twitter @SunderlandAFC, and Instagram @sunderlandafcofficial.