Sunderland resume their defence of the Papa John’s Trophy on Wednesday night at the Stadium of Light, as Oldham Athletic visit in the first knockout round of the competition (KO 7pm).
The Lads host the contest having won Northern Group F over the course of the past several weeks; the two sides met at this stage of the competition last season at Boundary Park, Sunderland emerging 2-1 winners.
Team news
A mix of youth and experience could be fielded by Lee Johnson as Wednesday’s game provides ample opportunity for matchday minutes for several players.
Will Harris, Cieran Dunne and Ollie Younger could all be involved, whilst Anthony Patterson may have a shout between the sticks as Lee Burge continues to recover from injury.
Opposition
Oldham Athletic are currently on the hunt for a new head coach, having seen Keith Curle depart his post last week. Currently sitting second-bottom of League Two with 12 defeats from their 19 league games played, academy coach Selim Benachour has taken the reins in caretaker charge for the Latics. Benachour was an attacking midfielder during his playing days for the likes of Paris St. Germain, Malaga and Rubin Kazan, hanging up his boots in 2018.
Oldham have enjoyed significant cup runs in the past, reaching the League Cup final in 1990 and three FA Cup semi-finals – most recently in 1994.
Around the grounds
With the majority of knockout matches being played on Tuesday night, this contest at the Stadium of Light is one of four being played on Wednesday. Other matches on the night include Sheffield Wednesday hosting Hartlepool, Doncaster travelling to Crewe and Ipswich’s clash with Arsenal’s Under-21s.
Tickets & streaming
Tickets remain available for Wednesday’s Trophy tie under the lights, and can be purchased by clicking here.
SAFSee streaming is available to both UK and overseas-based supporters – click here to purchase a stream pass.
Social media coverage will as ever be present on the club’s official platforms, on Twitter @SunderlandAFC, and Instagram @sunderlandafcofficial.