Andy Welsh has urged Sunderland’s under-23s to take their chances against Derby County on Thursday evening.
The young Black Cats travel to the iPro Stadium in the Premier League International Cup, and they know that a point against the Rams would seal a place in the quarter-finals.
Welsh’s side currently top Group A on six points having beaten Benfica and PSV Eindhoven, with the Portuguese side currently level with Derby on three points heading into the final group games.
And speaking ahead of the cup clash, Welsh challenged his side to get the job done.
“We go there needing a point to progress so hopefully we can get that, but we know it’s going to be difficult with a number of players missing.
“We are expecting a very tough test against Derby and nothing less than what we faced when we played them at the Stadium of Light last year.”
He added: “In forward areas we need to take our chances because on another day we could’ve got something from the game against Everton.
“That’s something we’ve worked on, though, and we're hopeful that we can be more clinical when we go down to Derby.”
