There’s little chance to draw breathe in this league as Sunderland welcome Accrington Stanley to the Stadium of Light tonight for their third match in six days.
Kicking-off at 7:45pm, the Black Cats welcome Stanley to Wearside for only the second meeting in over 100 years.
Jack Ross’ men faced John Coleman’s side in December at the Wham Stadium, however, that match was called off at 1-1 and with 70 minutes played after a torrential downpour made conditions unplayable.
Since then, the Lads have hit a rocky patch of form which has seen them draw six of their league eight league matches, despite being on an unbeaten run of 11 games in all competitions.
That said, Ross’ side remain unbeaten on home soil in the league and have suffered just two defeats – a feat bettered by only Liverpool, who have lost once, in the Premier League this season.
Sunderland go into tonight’s meeting with Accrington having frustratingly drawn their last two. A late leveller on Saturday at Oxford United saw the lads forced to settle for a point before Tuesday’s improved display provided plenty of encouragement as Ross looks to fine tune his attack after his side have failed to score more than once in their previous 10 league matches.
Accrington Stanley, meanwhile, head to Wearside looking to end a run of five games in all competition without a goal. That run for Stanley has seen them slip down the league from ninth to 16th as a result.
Six without a win also, it would be no surprise if Coleman shuffled his pack as Dan Barlaser remains available after returning from suspension at Scunthorpe last weekend. Defender Ross Sykes limped off at Gillingham last time out while Okera Simmonds is yet to make his debut after being released from Blackburn Rovers.
Duncan Watmore will be unavailable for Ross as the 24-year-old’s recovery time doesn’t allow him to play two games in such quick succession. Bryan Oviedo and Lee Cattermole are back in training as the Scot is able to boast a near fully fit squad.
FRIDAY FEELING
The weekend starts at the Stadium of Light this Friday, with Hadrian’s Tipi opening in the SAFC Fan Zone from 5.30pm ahead of the Lads’ clash with Accrington Stanley.
Open pre and post-match, the Tipi was a big hit during Tuesday’s game against Blackpool, so get on down and enjoy a pint by the fire ahead of kick-off!
Tickets for the game against Accy remain on sale, with prices starting from just £20 for adults and £7.50 for under-16s.
And this is your last chance to secure your eight-game season card, with Friday’s game including in the package!
DON’T MISS THE ACTION
We’ve got three Hadrian’s Tipi’s on hire for the next week!
Cash turnstiles will be in operation for tonight’s home match – full details available here.
BBC Radio Newcastle’s Nick Barnes will be broadcasting live right here on safc.com from 7pm.
As ever, there will be comprehensive coverage across our digital channels including safc.com’s matchday blog and live updates on Twitter via @SunderlandAFC.
