Sunderland's stuttering promotion challenge will continue on Saturday afternoon when they welcome fellow top two rivals MK Dons to the Stadium of Light.
In what is shaping up to be one of the biggest matches of the campaign, the pair will know that only three points is good enough to keep them in touch with the top two.
Match preview
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It is played one and drawn one for new Sunderland boss Alex Neil, who was forced to watch his side stumble to a 1-1 draw away to AFC Wimbledon in midweek.
Not the start that Neil would have been gunning for, with the former Preston North End boss now facing an upwards task if he wishes to see his side challenge for the automatic positions.
Sunderland's current winless streak sits at an alarmingly poor that four matches, with their last triumph in the league coming almost one month ago.
Understanding of the pressures the Black Cats job brings, Neil will be forced to hit the ground running if he is to be a success in the North-East.
Currently above their opponents on Saturday in the League One table, MK Dons are best placed out of the challengers to bridge the gap to Rotherham United and Wigan Athletic.
Contrary to Sunderland's stumbling form, the Dons have enjoyed a stellar run of results in recent months, losing only one of their last 11 League One matches.
Surprisingly, that defeat came against relegation candidate Doncaster Rovers, with Liam Manning's side otherwise boasting a near-perfect run of results.
Confident of a result on Saturday, MK Dons will have to avenge a three-game winless run against Sunderland if they wish to take three points.
Last victorious over the Black Cats in November 2020, the hosts will be keen to see that streak stretched out to four come Saturday evening.
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Team News
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If Sunderland are to have any remaining chance of playing in the Championship next season, the form of Ross Stewart will be crucial.
The striker has netted 18 times so far this season and will start up front for the Black Cats, with Alex Pritchard and Jack Clarke offering width either side.
Anthony Patterson will stat between the sticks for Sunderland, with centre-back duo Callum Doyle and Bailey Wright just in front.
For MK Dons, their standout attacker has been Scott Twine, who has contributed in some capacity to 16 goals this season.
Expected to start on the right hand side of attack, Twine will offer service for Tottenham Hotspur loanee, Troy Parrott.
A back three of Harry Darling, Dean Lewington and Warren O'Hora will be tasked with the job of keeping the Sunderland attackers quiet.
Sunderland possible starting lineup:
Patterson; Hume, Wright, Doyle, Cirkin; Neil, Winchester, Matete; Clarke, Stewart, Pritchard
MK Dons possible starting lineup:
Cumming; O'Hara, Darling, Lewington; Watson, McEachran, Coventry, Harvie; Twine, Parrott, Corbeanu
We say: Sunderland 1-1 MK Dons
It really is now or never for Sunderland, with defeat against MK Dons at home on Saturday a non-negotiable if they wish to earn promotion.
MK Dons will pose a huge threat of their own given their promotion ambitions, and should be confident of leaving the North-East with points in hand.
Top tip
Amos Murphy
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Sunderland win with a probability of 53.83%. A draw had a probability of 23.9% and a win for MK Dons had a probability of 22.3%.
The most likely scoreline for a Sunderland win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.17%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.74%) and 2-0 (9.6%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (11.34%), while for a MK Dons win it was 0-1 (6.61%). The actual scoreline of 1-2 was predicted with a 5.8% likelihood.
