Sunderland play host to Preston North End on New Year's Day looking for the win that could see them move back into the Championship playoff spots.
At a time when the Black Cats sit in seventh position in the standings, Preston have recently dropped down to 11th place, albeit still just two points adrift of their upcoming opponents.
Match preview
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Having witnessed his Sunderland side go down 3-0 at home to Coventry City in his opening match, Michael Beale would have recognised the size of the task at hand at the Stadium of Light.
However, Beale and his players deserve credit for how they have responded, collecting four points from trips to Hull City and Rotherham United.
While there will be disappointment in only earning a share of the spoils at the bottom-placed team in the division, Sunderland came from behind to secure their point at the New York Stadium.
Jack Clarke's equaliser represented the second time in a row that Sunderland had scored a goal in the final 20 minutes to improve their points tally, something that will provide Beale with confidence that his side are already heading in the right direction.
Nevertheless, this is a side that have lost five of their 12 home fixtures this campaign, a record that must improve if they want to remain in the hunt of promotion.
Although Preston were able to see off Leeds United on Boxing Day, Ryan Lowe will feel very much under pressure at Deepdale courtesy of the results either side of that triumph.
Three days after beating the Yorkshire giants, Preston succumbed tamely to another, losing out by a 1-0 scoreline to Sheffield Wednesday at their home ground.
Six defeats have now been posted in nine games, with just seven points coming during that period, yet the saving grace for Lowe may be that victory on Monday would see them overtake their seventh-placed opponents.
Despite Preston possessing a respectable away return of 15 points from 12 games, they have scored just 13 goals ahead of facing opponents who have conceded only once in their last two outings.
Team News
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Beale is expected to make changes to his Sunderland XI, with Abdoullah Ba in line to take the spot of Patrick Roberts on the right flank after his early withdrawal versus Rotherham.
Mason Burstow is an obvious option in attack, while Timothee Pembele and Alex Pritchard are both pushing for starts having been part of the team that fought back for a draw.
The likes of Niall Huggins, Dennis Cirkin and Bradley Dack are all expected to remain on the sidelines.
Meanwhile, Preston boss Lowe must decide whether to stick with an unfamiliar 4-3-3 formation, as opposed to a back three that he has deployed for much of the season.
Ben Woodburn and Ched Evans could be drafted into attacking roles, but Emil Riis Jakobsen will not be considered for a start just yet despite making his long-awaited return from a serious knee injury.
Sunderland possible starting lineup:
Patterson; Seelt, O'Nien, Ballard, Hume; Ekwah, Neil; Ba, Bellingham, Clarke; Burstow
Preston North End possible starting lineup:
Woodman; Potts, Whatmough, Lindsay, Hughes; Browne, Whiteman, McCann; Holmes, Evans, Millar
We say: Sunderland 2-1 Preston North End
There is an unpredictability about Preston that makes it impossible to completely write them off ahead of their visit to the Stadium of Light. Nevertheless, Sunderland look in better shape than they were for Beale's first home game, leaving us to predict a narrow win for the North East outfit.
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Top tip
Darren Plant
