Sunderland host Cardiff City in the Sky Bet Championship Last time out Sunderland lost away to Everton and Cardiff drew with Sheffield Wednesday. Simon Grayson needs time to turn things around at the Stadium of Light, and he'll do that if the owners let him. The Black Cats are yet to pick up a home win during the 2017-18 campaign, with their last SoL victory coming in December when Watford were beaten 1-0. Marc Wilson (groin) and John O'Shea (calf) are closing in on returns, while midfielder Aiden McGeady is close to being available after shaking off a hamstring problem and strikers Duncan Watmore and Josh Maja are both working their way back from knee injuries. Cardiff have had a bit of a reality check in recent weeks after their fantastic start, but Neil Warnock won't be too worried by their drop-off. He'll fancy them to get a result at Sunderland. Liam Feeney, Danny Ward and Lee Tomlin all impressed when coming off the bench against Sheffield Wednesday last weekend. Midfielder Craig Bryson will be hoping to retain his place after being drafted back into the side against the Owls, but Danish forward Kenneth Zohore could drop to the bench after failing to score since Cardiff's win at Burton. Simon Grayson: “The team [at Everton] was always going to be selected with one eye on the weekend. Some players weren’t available, some needed a rest and others needed game time out there, and it was nice for Ethan Robson to make his debut and what a place to make it.” “We wanted to try and win the game but we didn’t do that and now we’ll get back to the north east and prepare for the weekend. “We want three points and we want to break that hoodoo of not having won at home for such a long time.” “It’s going to be a tough test against Cardiff City but if we get everyone firing and play with the tempo we can do, while also defending better than we have done tonight, then we’ve got a good chance of winning it.” Neil Warnock: "We are the best in the division for late goals at the moment, so long may that continue really” “We know we are in a difficult run of games now up until the end of October and every point is vital.” “I’ve not been that often (to the SoL) if I am honest, but it’s a good club, my assistant Mick Jones is an absolute Sunderland stalwart and all his family are from up there, and they are all passionate and there’s no in-between up there – you’re a red and white” “It’s a good stadium and I’m looking forward to it really.” "It’s one of the few clubs I’ve spoken over the last few years - they have the right colours! You don’t get the opportunity so you move onto something better. I’m a big believer in fate and I think fate brought me here. Fans got on my back here before, but it was always respectful Welsh banter." "Two or three clubs over the summer I could have gone to. I never got an interview. I was linked this summer but it wasn’t anything really, because I always had my heart here. I work for people, me, and Mehmet is as good I’ve ever had as a chairman I’ve worked for." Match facts: The Black Cats have won four of their last six league meetings with Cardiff (D1 L1) most recently a 4-0 win in the Premier League in April 2014. This is the first Championship meeting at the Stadium of Light between the sides since October 2006, which Cardiff won 2-1 thanks to a brace from Michael Chopra. Simon Grayson has ended on the winning side once in 12 previous managerial meetings against Cardiff (D3 L8), a 3-0 win for his Preston side last season. Kenneth Zohore has had more shots (31) and shots on target (12) than any other player in the Championship this season. Despite this, he has found the net just once. The Black Cats are currently enduring their second longest home winless league run in their entire history (14 games). Their worst run came between August 2005 and May 2006, when they went 18 games at the Stadium of Light without winning. Cardiff have won three points from goals scored in the last five minutes of Championship games this season, more than any other side. Form: Sports Analytics Machine: Home win Prutton predicts: 1-2 Referee: Peter Bankes Assistants: Paul Hodskinson and Andrew Fox Fourth official: Mark Heywood Team Line ups Sunderland Subs from Steele, Jones, Browning, Gibson, Love, Honeyman, Asoro, Gooch Doubtful McGeady. Wilson, O'Shea Injured McNair (knee, Oct), Watmore (knee, Oct), Maja (knee, Sep), Grabban (hamstring, Oct), O’Shea (calf, Sep) Cardiff City Etheridge Peltier, Morrison, Bamba, Bennett, Ralls, Gunnarsson, Mendez-Laing, Bryson, Hoilett, Zohore Subs from Ecuele Manga, Richards, Tomlin, Ward, Feeney, Damour, Murphy Injured Paterson, Camp, Harris, Evitt-Healey Betting Odds: H 19/10 A 6/4 D 11/5 My two pence: We need to kick the home hoodoo and no better time than this weekend. I am going for an elusive home win 2-1 Ha’way the Lads
Same team as match day thread if it's available. I know it's early days in his come back but I'd have Watmore on the bench if the u23's aren't playing tomoro or Saturday.
Toppa thread and info - I've gone for a home win and I hope we now go on a winning run before the international break with Watmore back for the next home game - (incidently I can see Everton going on a winning run after their cup win- -teams often after resurge playing us ) Despite our poor negative results I think SG and MB are getting a squad together to get us out of this league with positive language and the clubs transfer policy . t
I actually want you lot to win this - Neil Warnock is an interminable whiny ****, and him inevitably throwing toys out of the pram when they lose is always a good laugh.
I see Pearson has gone to Belgium so that's him out of the next manager equation. This winless run better end soon though.
Still cannot see anything but another defeat - we are a poor side defensively and cannot put the ball in the net. Bart
In this league any game could go either way I'd hate to bet on it. I think a point after a stern commited display would satisfy but If we could conceded in the first half I'll be worried. As has been mentioned a few times on here we have annually looked knackered after 70mins except the year of Paulos pre-season. This for me is probably out major on pitch issue as side from a lack of quality. We seem to be very vulnerable in the last third of games and often drop points in that period.
Utterly convinced that we will not win at home again for the next 3,000 years, but I’m convinced that their start is a false reflection so I’m saying 1-1.
After the Everton game, Grayson said that Watmore would play for the U23s at the weekend and would not be in the first team squad until after the International break.
Worst thing in the world we could do is rush Watmore back. I think he'll be great for us but the last thing we want is him getting crunched off some big centre half and getting done again because he's still not there.