Sunderland make their long-awaited return to the Stadium of Light on Saturday afternoon, as Preston North End make the trip to Wearside in the Sky Bet Championship (KO 3pm).
The visit of Ryan Lowe’s Lancastrians signals a first home game for Tony Mowbray’s side since August 31, having since contested three away fixtures with one win, one draw and one defeat, sitting fifth in the league table.
Team news
Mowbray confirmed in Thursday morning’s press conference that Dennis Cirkin is now in contention to return following a hamstring injury which forced him off against Middlesbrough on September 5.
Corry Evans, Trai Hume and Abdoullah Ba all returned from their respective international duty on Thursday, with Jewison Bennette expected to return Friday – the Costa Rican is doubtful following the later arrival.
Ellis Simms remains out with a toe injury, whilst Ross Stewart, Dan Ballard and Niall Huggins are still sidelined.
Opposition
Preston North End are currently competing at Championship level for the eighth consecutive season, having achieved promotion from League One in 2015. The Lilywhites have finished between seventh and 14th in each of these recent campaigns, with 13th-place berths for the past two years. Whilst the club have yet to play in the Premier League in its current form, the men from Deepdale are rich in history, with two league titles and two FA Cups from seven final appearances.
Liverpool-born manager Lowe took the reins at North End in December 2021, following on from former Sunderland boss Alex Neil’s four-year spell and the short-term reign of Frankie McAvoy. Having now begun his first full season in charge, Lowe and Preston sit 15th, having remarkably scored just three goals and conceded just four across 10 league games – including five goalless draws.
Around the grounds (Saturday 3pm unless stated)
Hull vs Luton (Friday 8pm)
Blackburn vs Millwall
Blackpool vs Norwich
Rotherham vs Wigan
Cardiff vs Burnley
Coventry vs Middlesbrough
Reading vs Huddersfield
West Brom vs Swansea
Sheffield United vs Birmingham
Bristol City vs QPR
Stoke vs Watford (Sunday 12noon)
Tickets & coverage
Tickets for Sunderland’s meeting with Preston North End at the Stadium of Light are available by accessing the e-ticketing site on safc.com.
Due to EFL broadcast restrictions, streaming passes will only be available to supporters based overseas.
Social media coverage will be available via the club’s official platforms on Twitter @SunderlandAFC, and Instagram @sunderlandafcofficial.