Bolton Wanderers could lift the gloom around the Reebok Stadium at the moment by knocking Sunderland out of the FA Cup on Saturday.
The Trotters - relegated from the Premier League last season - have not found life back in the Championship to their satisfaction and they currently languish 18th in the table.
Last year's FA Cup run was marred by Fabrice Muamba's near-fatal cardiac arrest on the pitch at White Hart Lane. The match was abandoned, but Spurs eventually won through to the quarter-finals with a 3-1 victory 10 days later.
The Black Cats' form has picked up of late and they sit 14th with three wins in their last six games.
They reached the last eight of the competition last year before losing out to Everton in a replay at the Stadium of Light.
John O'Shea (hamstring), Lee Cattermole (knee) and Wes Brown (knee ligament) will all miss out through injury.
Recent form
Bolton: DWLLWL
Sunderland: WLWWLL
Possible lineups
Bolton: Bogdan; Mears, Knight, Ream, Alonso; Spearing, Andrews, Chung-Yong, Eagles; M Davies; K Davies
Sunderland: Mignolet; Kilgallon, Cuellar, Rose, Colback; Larsson, Gardner, Johnson, McClean; Sessegnon; Fletcher
Sports Mole says: 2-1
Michael Penkman
