Sunderland play host to Millwall on Saturday afternoon looking for the win that will keep them in the hunt for a top-half finish in the Championship table.
Meanwhile, Millwall are aware that victory at the Stadium of Light will effectively guarantee that they remain in the second tier for at least another year.
Match preview
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While Mike Dodds is unlikely to be handed the reins on a permanent basis after the conclusion of this campaign, he will want his current Sunderland side to end the season on a high note.
That looked unlikely on the back of six successive defeats, but the Black Cats have since responded by losing just one of their last six games.
Although that was a 5-1 defeat at home to Blackburn Rovers, Sunderland have incredibly kept clean sheets in the other five matches during that period.
Back-to-back goalless draws were posted against Leeds United and Bristol City before the North East outfit overcame West Bromwich Albion by a 1-0 scoreline last weekend.
Collecting points over that level of opposition can only act as a confidence boost ahead of trying to reach the 60-point mark; four points are required from this game and the following meetings with Watford and Sheffield Wednesday.
From Millwall's perspective, their decision to bring Neil Harris back to the club has proven to be inspired given they are now all but assured of safety.
Either side of a period where they collected just five points from six matches, they have won back-to-back matches to leave them six points clear of the bottom three with three matches remaining.
A 1-0 victory over Leicester City was followed by a 3-1 success against Cardiff City, both games taking place at The Den where Millwall are unbeaten in five games.
However, they have been far less impressive on their travels, losing their last three such fixtures and scoring just the one goal.
Team News
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Barring any further injury issues, Dodds could stick with the Sunderland XI from the win at The Hawthorns.
Aji Alese is in contention for his first start since a lengthy layoff, while Patrick Roberts is an alternative to Chris Rigg in the final third.
The likes of Dennis Cirkin, Niall Huggins and Nazarii Rusyn all remain on the sidelines.
With Brooke Norton-Cuffy and Duncan Watmore both making contributions as substitutes against Cardiff, the pair could find themselves back in the Millwall starting lineup.
Harris may stick with the rest of his team as the Lions aim for three wins in a row.
Sunderland possible starting lineup:
Patterson; Hume, Ballard, O'Nien; Pembele, Ekwah, Neil, Styles; Rigg, Bellingham, Clarke
Millwall possible starting lineup:
Sarkic; Leonard, Tanganga, Cooper, McNamara; Norton-Cuffy, Mitchell, Saville, Watmore; Flemming, Obafemi
We say: Sunderland 1-1 Millwall
With Sunderland finally showing a bit of form under Dodds, they will expect to deliver maximum points in the North East. However, we feel that the Lions will come through this contest having earned a point in a relatively low-key affair.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Darren Plant
