Sunderland travel to Ashton Gate to face Bristol City in the Championship. Last time out Sunderland beat Leeds and Bristol lost to Blackburn. The Black Cats moved up to 6th and are 11 points off 3rd placed Leeds. Mike Dodds will take charge of this game while the club continue their search for a new head coach. Dodds has won both of his 2 games while in temporary charge of the squad. Jenson Seelt is expected to be available despite sitting out training today, while Jay Matete and Timothee Pembele have been penciled in for next week's U21 game against Arsenal. Aji Alese and Dennis Cirkin are back in training. Bristol City dropped to 15th place after losing 2-1 at Blackburn. Liam Manning's bright start to life with the Robins has tailed off, with this their fourth game without a win. Manning and Bristol City will rue the fact they failed to take their chances when they were on top. Mike Dodds: "Same as Saturday, I'm delighted for the players and the staff, the work ethic behind the scenes that goes into the preparation and I'm buzzing for the fans. "It's two really tough games and to take six points - if you'd said that at the start of the week I'd have snapped your hands off. "I thought we executed the game plan to a tee. I was going through stats, and before Trai [Hume] cleared the ball off the line at the end their expected goals was 0.4 and for us to limit a Premier League-quality team to that number of chances is remarkable really. "They've got to believe in it and that's really important. Tonight they really believed in how we set them up. We've played two teams in really good form and with top-flight budgets, and over the two games we've conceded five shots on goal." Liam Manning: "I thought we controlled the game OK, but as the half went on they scored and knocked the wind out of us, and I felt we felt a bit sorry for ourselves for the first time I've seen from this group. "The changes came on and had a positive impact, we looked really strong and showed real fighting belief that we showed in the last 25 minutes that we need to show from the start of games. "Performance-wise we've not necessarily had the results that we should have done, but you can't carry that emotional hangover and have doubt, you have to have belief, confidence and fighting spirit." Match Appointments: Referee: MARTIN STEPHEN Assistant Referees: Mark Dwyer & Mark Pottage Fourth Official: Scott Oldham Team Lineups: Sunderland AFC: (4-2-3-1) Patterson, Huggins, Ballard, O’Nien, Hume, Neil, Ekwah, Clarke, Pritchard, Roberts, Jobe Subs: Bishop, Triantis, Seelt, Mayenda, Ba, Rusyn, Aouchiche, Burstow, Dack. Injured: Evans, Matete, Pembele. Bristol City (4-4-2) O'Leary, Tanner, Vyner, Dickie, Pring, Sykes, James, Williams, Bell, Conway, Knight. Subs: Cornick, Mehmeti, Weimann, Gardner-Hickman, Bajic, Knight-Lebel, Yeboah, Meerholz. Injured: Roberts, King, Wells, McCrorie, Atkinson, Benarous. Betting Odds: Sunderland 6/5 Bristol 21/10 Draw 5/2 Prutton Predicts: 1-2 My two pence: Bristol are on a 4 game winless run at the moment but there are no easy games so I trust that Mike Dodds has already done his homework and knows how to get a result down in Brissle. I’m going for another 2-0 away win Mike Dodds Presser: Live Stream: Available to overseas fans: https://safc.com/news/team-news/live-video Ha’way the Lads
Excellent thread as always RTB, thanks mate. I expect the feel good factor to continue with a 1-3 win to the lads, hopefully with the new gaffer watching on from the stands.
Thank you @RTB. Can't argue with your line up, but do wonder if we might see the 3 at the back again. Who knows and if we dot know then the opposition don't either. I have a feeling it will a disciplined display with the odd burst of high intensity pressing leading to a 0-2 scoreline
Another great thread RTB. Instead of voting for a draw and hoping in my heart for a win like I've done for the last 2 games, I'm going out on a limb and going for a 2-0 win, Jobe and Roberts
Haway the thread. Thanks RTB. After the Leeds masterclass from a certain Mr Dodds I am not predicting any lineup. His looked loony to me and look what happened. One thing. I think Roberts is getting closer to the man we know. At some point soon he is going to directly impact. Another thing. Pritch - can he go again? If so yes please.
I can't wait for this game tbh, no reason we can't win ... I think we'll win well, sadly I can't make it. I like the formation, except I'd have Ekwah on the bench, move Jobe alongside Neil and play Mayenda up front. Bristol will collapse if we put pressure on them and get the ball into the box quickly ... ... either down the channels or low balls fired across the box. Once we quieten their crowd it's game over.
I think Ruysn may come back for this one and have Pritch just behind with Jobe and Neil in CM. But who knows! Haway Doddsy and the Lads. 1-3 Roberts, Pritch and Hume for us.
Think I'd go: Patterson Huggins Ballard O'Nien Hume Neil Ekwah Roberts Pritchard Clarke Jobe Subs: Bishop, Seelt, Triantis, Aouchiche, Ba, Mayenda, Rusyn, Burstow, Dack
Another team who we’ve had tight games against recently but confidence in football is massive and our last two results must have the lads busting to get at this game. Whatever our line up I expect us to prevail, this could be a good time to play these so go get those 3 points lads. Thanks again RTB HTL.
Wouldn't mind seeing Pritchard behind rusyn and see if he can pick out his runs. Think he'll get space behind with them being at home they'll come at us a bit
A Liam Manning team so I would expect they will try and dominate the ball, if we can press like we did against a much better team in Leeds I think we will win. 0-2 Ballard and Roberts.
Great thread RTB, and I'd so like to predict a Sunderland win but I'm keeping to my pessimistic self and predicting another defeat. When I predict a Sunderland win it goes pear shaped
Great as always RTB I’m going 3-1 to the lads think we could just have a little to much for them.Be interesting to see which way Dodds sets us up hopefully we cruise to the win COME ON
He went down just in front of me and I thought 'hamstring' ... ... but Sky said cramp which could be right as he played on for a while. As he's not played much it could be cramp, especially as he kept appearing up front. You could see Hume getting frustrated, because he usually does that and he was having to drop back and cover, but Seelt looks like he can score a few given the chance. He looks so adaptable it made me wonder about the Ekwah position or even Jobe ... ... CDM anyone
I think Seelt if fit will start but it may be that he needs a rest, not really sure. I would like to see Higgins and Hume start and if Pritchard has recovered well would probably give him the firs 60 mins or so. the real questions come in midfield and across the front 3, does Ba or Roberts start? For me I would go with Roberts as I think defensively we will not be under as much pressure off Bristol as we were off Leeds. Do we play Jobe up front or in midfield and drop Ekwah for a striker? I would love to see how Rusyn or Mayenda get on with Clarke Roberts and Pritchard in the team and our Fullbacks offering width so it may be the right time to drop Ekwah to bench for this one and see what we can create for one of our strikers but that is a bit of a risk though with his line up against Leeds Dodds has shown he is not scared to mix it up a bit. I hope we get this right as Bristol will try and play and will try to press the ball we just need to exploit the spaces they leave so on that note will go for a 0-3 and have a suspicion that we will get another penalty in this game.
If everyone is fit I think I'd play the same side except Roberts in for Abdou,to provide a greater attacking threat. Playing Seelt again might allow Neil to get forward more too.....I think he always carries a threat further up the pitch.
Great thread as always. Thanks @RTB It will be interesting to see the lineup for this one. Fancy us to win 2-0 with a striker to finally notch a goal.
