Sunderland will be looking to bounce back from three straight League One defeats when they continue their campaign away to AFC Wimbledon on Saturday afternoon.
The Black Cats will enter the contest off the back of a 2-1 loss at Cheltenham Town on Tuesday, while Wimbledon suffered a 1-0 defeat to Rotherham United on the same night.
Match preview
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Wimbledon's winless run continued on Tuesday evening, with the Dons suffering a 1-0 home defeat to Rotherham, which followed a 3-2 loss at Charlton Athletic on February 5.
Not since December 7 have Wimbledon managed to collect all three points in League One, and a total 30 points from 30 matches has left them down in 20th spot in the table, just one point clear of 21st-placed Morecambe, who have played one game more than the side directly above them.
Mark Robinson's side, who finished 19th in League One last season, have found it difficult to pick up positive results in front of their own supporters this term, collecting just 15 points from 15 matches, which is the joint-worst record in the division alongside Lincoln City and Doncaster Rovers.
Wimbledon will certainly be wary of a potential backlash from Sunderland this weekend, and it is a big end to the month for the club, as they will take on Bolton Wanderers on February 19 before travelling to Gillingham and hosting Doncaster in their final two games of the month.
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At the time of writing, Sunderland are yet to name a new head coach, but Roy Keane continues to be strongly linked with the position, and the 50-year-old's return to the club could be confirmed ahead of this game.
Lee Johnson was sacked as manager following the 6-0 defeat to Bolton at the end of January, with Mike Dodds and Michael Proctor placed in charge on a caretaker basis, but the results have not improved, with the club losing their last against Doncaster and Cheltenham to lose precious ground at the top.
The Black Cats, who have not triumphed in the league since beating Portsmouth on January 22, are currently fourth in League One, 11 points behind leaders Rotherham.
Sunderland are also crucially two points behind second-placed Wigan Athletic, who have four games in hand on them, so a spot in the playoffs might be the best that the club can achieve this term.
The former Premier League club have been inconsistent on their travels in League One this term, winning five, drawing five and losing six of their 16 matches, but it is vital that they find a way to return to winning ways here, as their promotion push is in danger of collapsing at a vital stage of the season.
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Team News
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Wimbledon boss Robinson will have been encouraged by his team's performance against table-topping Rotherham on Tuesday, so it would not be a surprise to see the same XI take to the field.
That said, Daniel Csoka was forced off at the interval last time out, so the defender will need to be assessed, with Will Nightingale on standby to come into the side.
Jack Rudoni has impressed for Wimbledon this season, scoring seven times in League One, and the 21-year-old will again feature in the final third of the field this weekend.
As for Sunderland, recent arrivals Jermain Defoe and Patrick Roberts are pushing for starts after appearing off the bench against Cheltenham, but the club will be cautious when it comes to the fitness of the pair.
The management team are expected to resist the temptation to make wholesale changes from the side that started on Tuesday, with Jack Clarke set to retain his spot in a wide area.
Jay Matete and Leon Dajaku were among those introduced into the team against Cheltenham, and the pair could retain their positions in the first XI against a struggling Wimbledon.
AFC Wimbledon possible starting lineup:
Tzanev; Kalambayi, Heneghan, Nightingale; Alexander, Hartigan, Marsh, Guinness-Walker; Rudoni, Cosgrove, Assal
Sunderland possible starting lineup:
Patterson; Hume, Batth, Doyle, Cirkin; Evans, Matete; Dajaku, Pritchard, Clarke; Stewart
We say: AFC Wimbledon 0-1 Sunderland
This is a huge match for both sides, and it will be fascinating to see what occurs on Saturday afternoon. We are expecting a cagey contest between two out-of-form teams but believe that Sunderland's additional quality will shine through to secure a hugely important three points at Plough Lane.
Top tip
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 48.33%. A win for AFC Wimbledon had a probability of 27.54% and a draw had a probability of 24.1%.
The most likely scoreline for a Sunderland win was 1-2 with a probability of 9.49%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-1 (9.4%) and 0-2 (7.87%). The likeliest AFC Wimbledon win was 2-1 (6.83%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.33%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with an 11.3% likelihood.
