Bidding to win three straight Championship matches for the first time in 2025, a rejuvenated Sunderland host Preston North End at the Stadium of Light on Tuesday evening.
The Black Cats emerged as 2-1 victors over Cardiff City in Saturday's showdown, while Paul Heckingbottom's crop came up short against promotion-chasing Sheffield United in a 1-0 defeat.
Match preview
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An unlikely name made himself the Sunderland hero at the Stadium of Light on Saturday, as following earlier efforts from Eliezer Mayenda and Cardiff's Isaak Davies, defender Chris Mepham came up with the decisive strike with 13 minutes of normal time remaining.
The centre-back's first Championship goal of the campaign was enough to secure back-to-back 2-1 wins for Regis Le Bris's side, who also edged out Sheffield United at the end of February and now seek three successive wins in the competition for the first time since late October.
While sitting comfortably clear of Coventry City and West Bromwich Albion in fourth place in the Championship table, automatic promotion remains a long shot for Sunderland, whose total of 68 points is six fewer than Burnley and eight below Sheffield United in the silver medal position.
However, Le Bris was understandably not 100% satisfied with his side making hard work of the relegation-battling Bluebirds, lamenting a "strange" part of the game in which his side had "massive control" but still allowed Davies to threaten a Cardiff comeback.
Nevertheless, the Black Cats should not lose their iron grip on a playoff spot now, and they have still suffered just the one Championship defeat at the Stadium of Light this season; only Burnley - the only side unbeaten at home in the division - have lost fewer on their own patch.
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Also excelling in front of the home crowd during the winter months, upcoming visitors Preston have turned Deepdale into a fortress with a 14-game unbeaten run at their headquarters in all competitions, but it has been a different story for Heckingbottom's men on their travels.
Gleaning just a point from their trip to Bramall Lane on Saturday was always going to be a difficult ask for PNE, and even though Heckingbottom's troops put in a spirited defensive display against the current runners-up, they succumbed to a Tyrese Campbell header early in the second half.
Following a third defeat from four away games, former Sheffield United boss Heckingbottom conceded that his players 'went into their shell' at his old stomping ground, but there should be very little jeopardy for Preston between now and the end of the Championship season.
The 16th-placed visitors are 11 points clear of the relegation zone and 12 points below the playoff places, so pushing for a top-half placement should be Preston's overriding goal as they potentially prioritise the FA Cup, where they will clash with Aston Villa in the quarter-finals later this month.
However, PNE held out for a creditable goalless draw with Sunderland earlier this term and have only lost two of their last 12 clashes with the Black Cats, although one of those losses came at the Stadium of Light last season, where Alex Pritchard and Nazariy Rusyn's strikes did the damage.
Team News
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Sunderland's triumph over Cardiff on Saturday came at a slight cost, as winger Patrick Roberts was taken off inside the opening 25 minutes due to muscle tightness, although Le Bris insisted that his change was more precautionary than a sign of anything sinister.
Roberts has been cleared to feature in this one, but Salis Abdul Samed has been ruled out until after the international break after sustaining a fresh calf problem before the victory at the weekend.
Daniel Ballard (hamstring), Niall Huggins (knee), Ajibola Alese (foot) and Ian Poveda (unspecified) are also sidelined for the hosts, who should draft Wilson Isidor or talented teenager Chris Rigg into the XI in place of Roberts if the attacker is not quite at full fitness.
Preston's efforts against Sheffield United were not helped by the unexpected absences of Milutin Osmajic (hip) and Jayden Meghoma (ankle), but Heckingbottom is keeping his fingers crossed that the pair will be available this week.
Duane Holmes (leg) remains a long-term absentee for the visitors, who could also be missing Ali McCann (calf), Mads Frokjaer (unspecified), Josh Seary (knee), Jack Whatmough (calf) and Jordan Storey (leg) for the clash with the Black Cats.
Meanwhile, Scotland defender Ryan Porteous is now on nine yellow cards for the season and will incur a two-match Championship suspension if he is booked in midweek.
Sunderland possible starting lineup:
Patterson; Hume, Mepham, O'Nien, Cirkin; Rigg, Neil, Bellingham; Roberts, Mayenda, Isidor
Preston North End possible starting lineup:
Woodman; Kesler-Hayden, Gibson, Porteous, Lindsay, Brady; Potts, Ledson; Greenwood; Osmajic, Riis
We say: Sunderland 1-0 Preston North End
Preston's praiseworthy home form has not translated into consistency on the road, and Heckingbottom's men have far less to play for in the Championship than their promotion-chasing hosts.
That is not to say that the visitors will lift their foot off the gas, but avoiding more injuries before the FA Cup quarters will be of paramount importance, and Sunderland possess more game-changing attackers capable of producing that one moment of brilliance needed for victory.
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Ben Knapton
