Looking to record back-to-back wins, Sunderland will welcome playoff-chasing Norwich City to the Stadium of Light for a Championship battle on Saturday afternoon.
The Black Cats managed a last-minute success over Swansea City last time out, whilst the Canaries suffered defeat at home to promotion rivals Burnley.
Match preview
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After a sobering 16th-placed finish in the 2023-24 edition of the Championship, Sunderland are on a mission to secure promotion to the Premier League for the first time since 2017, with the North-East giants making a good start to their quest as the season approaches the halfway point.
Since the turn of the month, the Black Cats have enjoyed a three-game unbeaten run in the second tier, with wins over Stoke City and Swansea sandwiching a tough share of the spoils at the Stadium of Light versus an inconsistent Bristol City outfit just over a week ago.
Sunderland fought back from two goals down to secure a dramatic maximum in South Wales last weekend, when efforts from Dan Ballard, Alex Neil and wonderkid Jobe Bellingham completed a massive comeback at the expense of Swansea City, who are now trailing in the playoff race.
Collecting seven points from their first three matches of the hectic festive schedule, the Black Cats remain in fourth place in the Championship standings ahead of this weekend's fixture, two points behind Leeds United who lie in the lowest of the automatic promotion spots.
Alongside Sheffield United, Watford and Burnley, Regis Le Bris's troops are one of four sides in the second tier who are yet to be defeated on their own patch during the 2024-25 season, with Sunderland last losing at the Stadium of Light versus Sheffield Wednesday on May 4.
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Following back-to-back home romps over Plymouth Argyle and Luton Town, winning by a combined scoreline of 10-3 over the two matches, Norwich have endured a slight slump in form as the Christmas period commences, recording just the single point from their most recent trio of contests.
Arguably the least disappointing result of the lot arrived last Sunday afternoon at Carrow Road, where title-chasing Burnley snatched three points in East Anglia courtesy of second-half strikes from summer arrival Zian Flemming and midfield maestro Josh Brownhill following Jose Cordoba's opener for the Canaries.
Looking to avoid a fourth straight match without victory in December this weekend, Norwich are currently occupying 12th spot in the Championship table, nine points above the relegation zone and a worrying eight points behind Middlesbrough in the lowest of the playoff spots.
Winning just two of their 11 second-tier contests outside of Carrow Road so far in the 2024-25 campaign, the Canaries will need to buck up their ideas on the road if they wish to secure a return to the Premier League, with Saturday's visitors collecting just 10 points from away matches to date.
Doing his utmost at the top end of the pitch to ensure that Norwich have a season to remember, Borja Sainz is the current leader of the Championship's Golden Boot race with 15 goals from 21 appearances, although the tricky Spaniard has failed to score in each of the last three games.
Team News
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Sunderland are without the services of midfielder Alan Browne, with the former Preston North End man suffering a broken leg that is set to keep him out until April.
The Black Cats are also unable to call upon the talents of young attacker Romaine Mundle, who has been sidelined until after the New Year because of a hamstring injury.
The hosts' options in forward areas are restricted further by the absence of Tom Watson, with the 18-year-old picking up a troublesome knee issue.
With Sainz firing in the goals so far, Norwich have fared reasonably well without the goalscoring instincts of Joshua Sargent, who is battling back from a groin injury.
The Canaries' depth in the middle of the park has been limited by the hamstring strain of Liam Gibbs, who has managed just seven Championship appearances so far this term.
Sunderland possible starting lineup:
Patterson; Hume, Mepham, Ballard, Cirkin; Neil, Bellingham, Roberts, Rigg, Mayenda; Isidor
Norwich City possible starting lineup:
Gunn; Fisher, Duffy, Cordoba, Doyle; Marcondes, Nunez, Ben Slimane; Schwartau, Sainz, Crnac
We say: Sunderland 2-1 Norwich City
Notoriously poor on their second-tier travels, we are expecting Norwich to struggle at the home of a promotion contender on Saturday afternoon.
Sunderland will be buoyed following their dramatic win at Swansea last time out and should have enough quality to record back-to-back victories.
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Carter White
