AliousSunderland will travel to Hillsborough on Friday night, hoping to break their losing streak at Sheffield Wednesday’s home ground. Despite an impressive season overall, consecutive defeats have dented their automatic promotion aspirations. The Black Cats currently sit in fourth place, eight points adrift of the top two. Their recent losses to Leeds United and Hull City have been a setback, but they’ll aim to recover against a Sheffield Wednesday side dealing with injury troubles.
The Owls enter the match following a heavy 4-0 defeat to third-placed Burnley last week. Sunderland also dominated the reverse fixture earlier this season, winning 4-0. Throughout the campaign, SAFC has shown resilience after setbacks, but this is the first time they’ve suffered back-to-back defeats, posing a new test for Regis Le Bris and his squad.
A victory would keep Sunderland’s faint hopes of automatic promotion alive, while a win for Sheffield Wednesday could push them back into playoff contention heading into the weekend fixtures.
Sunderland Team News
Le Bris confirmed some unfortunate injury updates in his pre-match press conference. Defender Dan Ballard and midfielder Enzo Le Fee are both sidelined for extended periods. Le Fee, who has been a standout performer since arriving in January, is expected to be out for four to six weeks. Ballard, who impressed in Sunderland’s last three matches, faces up to two months on the sidelines.
There is some positive news, as Tommy Watson has returned to full training, though this match comes too soon for him. Similarly, Jenson Seelt is nearing fitness but remains unavailable. Young forward Ahmed Abdullahi is still waiting for his first-team debut after playing for the youth squad, while Niall Huggins remains a long-term absentee.
Predicted Sunderland XI (4-4-2)
**Patterson; Hume, Mepham, O’Nien, Cirkin; Roberts, Neil, Bellingham, Mundle; Mayenda, Isidor**
Le Bris is expected to make multiple changes from the Hull City defeat, including two enforced by injury. Mundle replaces the injured Le Fee, marking his first start since November after recovering from injury. Mepham steps in for Ballard at center-back. Additionally, young midfielder Chris Rigg, who has looked fatigued in recent weeks, may be rested, with Eliezer Mayenda coming into the attack.
With a crucial run of fixtures ahead, Sunderland will be eager to get back to winning ways and reignite their promotion push.
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