Sunderland are in desperate need of a win but a trip to Blackpool, and to former manager Simon Grayson, won’t be an easy task.
The Seasiders are riding high in fourth place this season and are unbeaten in six league games, with multiple players standing out in impressive form currently.
Armand Gnanduillet has 11 goals this campaign while veteran winger Liam Feeney has nine assists, and if the Black Cats are to get anything from the game then stopping the pair will be critical.
With that in mind, Phil Parkinson should be tempted to retain the 5-3-2 formation he deployed last week, even though his side fell to a 1-0 defeat to Gillingham.
The protection of an extra defender worked effectively last time out and it should come in handy once more against a team that has scored 29 goals in 19 league games, while also providing some much-needed width going forward.
Aiden McGeady being banished could provide the biggest obstacle to Sunderland. His absence means the team lack quality and they could be disheartened by that, as well as the fact a relatively new manager has frozen out a key player.
Without the Irishman, and with Lynden Gooch still out injured, there aren’t many natural left-wingers in the squad, but since Denver Hume has proven adept going forward this season – with an average of 1.9 successful dribbles per game – he should be effective operating at left wing-back.
On the opposite flank, Parkinson should consider dropping Conor McLaughlin, who’s 67% pass accuracy and 0.6 dribbles per game suggest he isn’t up to standard and therefore acts as a hindrance to the team in attack.
Recalling Joel Lynch in place of Alim Ozturk would also be a wise decision, as although the latter didn’t fair too badly against the Gills, he was often guilty of not blocking low crosses into the box and the experience of Lynch could be crucial to handling the threat of Gnanduillet.
The biggest worry for Sunderland is scoring goals, however. They have managed just 13 in 12 games under Parkinson, with five of those coming in a single match.
No McGeady means there will be even less creativity in the squad and that means Chris Maguire should come back into the fold, even though he hasn’t played anywhere near his standard in recent matches.
More importantly, the return of Charlie Wyke to the starting line-up should act as a big boost, for both Parkinson and his players. He could be one of four changes.
The striker has spoken about suiting his manager’s style, and his physical presence up-front will give his teammates something to aim for, as well as allowing his teammates to get higher up the pitch as he holds the ball up.
It was his bustling nature which almost saw him get on the scoresheet last time out, winning the ball in the final third before flashing a shot narrowly wide, and the more he gets used to playing again the better his performances should be.
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His role should also bring the best out of Will Grigg as it will allow him greater space to operate in and Wyke should be able to find him more often than Marc McNulty did – his 44% pass accuracy against Gillingham means he should be dropped.
Many Sunderland fans were fuming over a recent squad development and called into question the club’s handling of affairs.
