Birmingham City will look to pick up another big three points in their battle to avoid relegation from the Championship on Saturday afternoon.
Having picked up a big three points against Blackburn Rovers in midweek, Blues boss Tony Mowbray is now set to face another of his former clubs, Sunderland.
The Black Cats have endured some mixed form under Mowbray’s successor, Michael Beale. Since the 43-year-old took charge, they have won four and drawn two of his 11 games in charge.
As a result, Sunderland now sit tenth in the Championship table, just a point adrift of the play-off places.
This therefore, could prove to be another tough test for Birmingham City as they aim to keep clear of the bottom three.
Latest Birmingham City team news
Blues have been given a boost ahead of this fixture, following an update on Dion Sanderson.
The centre back has missed Birmingham City’s last four games due to an ankle problem.
Now though, he has returned to training and is expected to feature in the matchday squad to face the Black Cats.
However, attacker Alex Pritchard looks set to miss out on the clash with his former club as he recovers from a calf injury.
Midfielders George Hall and Alfie Chang are also long-term absentees for Birmingham City, and will not face Sunderland.
How Tony Mowbray might lineup v Sunderland
Mowbray made seven changes to his side for the midweek win over Blackburn Rovers. The Birmingham City boss has since admitted that may have been too many, so it will be intriguing to see what he does here.
John Ruddy returned to the starting lineup on Tuesday and made a an excellent last minute save to secure the win, which could see him keep his place in the side.
Dion Sanderson could return in the Birmingham City defence after Mowbray’s update. However, he may otherwise be reluctant to change after that midweek clean sheet. That could see the likes of Cody Drameh, Marc Roberts and Ethan Laird all keep their spots.
Paik Seung-ho enjoyed an excellent first start for Blues in midweek, so should keep his spot in the centre of midfield alongside Tuesday’s matchwinner, Jordan James.
Juninho Bacuna produced some excellent work to create that goal in midweek, so could come back into the XI for Birmingham City, while Siriki Dembele has been another threat throughout the campaign.
Jordan James also looked a threat from midfield against Blackburn Rovers, so should keep his place in the starting lineup here.
In attack, Jay Stansfield remains top scorer for Birmingham City this season, meaning he ought to lead the line against Sunderland.
Here’s how we think Birmingham City will lineup v Sunderland on Saturday afternoon:
Ruddy (GK)
Laird
M.Roberts
Sanderson
Drameh
Paik
Dozzell
James
Bacuna
Dembele
Stansfield