Media mash-up continues as a batch of local reporters preview Sunderland’s latest fixture providing insight, analysis and opinion.
Next up, Nick Barnes, James Hunter and Richard Mennear preview the Lads’ midweek trip to the King Power Stadium.
Richard Mennear (@RichMennearJP) – Sunderland Echo
Sunderland face the Champions on Tuesday night knowing three points is an absolute must if the Black Cats are to stay up this season. The 1-0 defeat to Watford leaves Sunderland eight points adrift of the dotted safety line, another opportunity to close the gap missed. Games are fast running out for the Black Cats. Provided he is fit to start, the key battle will be between Jermain Defoe and the Foxes defence, weakened by the loss of captain Wes Morgan. Can Sunderland take advantage, though? The service into Defoe has to be better, that's for sure. He was feeding off scraps at Vicarage Road. And Sunderland need to be prepared for the rapid Leicester counter-attack. On the positive side? It was great to see Lee Cattermole back in the squad even if he didn't make it off the bench at Vicarage Road. His absence has been keenly felt this season and even though he is back, not too much can be expected of him given his lengthy spell out. A big night awaits at the King Power Stadium.
Nick Barnes (@Tweed_Barnesy) – BBC Radio Newcastle
Time to throw caution to the wind. David Moyes has persisted with the likes of Adnan Januzaj and Fabio Borini but to no avail. With a doubt over Jermain Defoe and the performances of Whabi Khazri and Didier Ndong at Watford, perhaps now is the time to take the plunge and play Khazri from the start and reinstate Ndong. At least the pair looked bright and attack minded at Vicarage Road. Goalscoring remains the achilles heel and one has to hope Defoe is fit to play. It’s hard to see where Sunderland are going to get the upper hand against a rejuvenated Leicester but they will have to be bold and ambitious and I would argue it’s time to play two up front and take the game to the home team. They’ve little now left to lose.
James Hunter (@JHunterChron) – The Chronicle
The weekend defeat at Watford was a major setback and has ramped up the pressure on this trip to Leicester City. With the gap between Sunderland and safety having widened to eight points, only wins are of any use now. The Foxes have belatedly clicked into gear and won their last five games in a row in all competitions, which means the Black Cats will have to turn the formbook upside down if they are to come away with three points. The fact that Jermain Defoe is an injury doubt does not help matters – unless he is passed fit, it is hard to see where the goals will come from as Sunderland bid to end their five-game drought.
The views expressed within this article are the views of the individual contributors and not necessarily those of Sunderland AFC.