New boss Michael Beale will take charge of his first match as Sunderland manager and will hope to keep their playoff push on course with a win over Coventry on Saturday.
The Sky Blues were beaten by Luton in last year’s Wembley showpiece and have found life a bit tougher this season, but confidence among Mark Robins’ team should be high after they claimed a point in their last game at promotion challengers Leeds.
Team news
Jobe Bellingham started last week’s 1-0 defeat at Bristol City on the bench, but it would be a surprise if the teenager wasn’t in Beale’s first starting line-up as the Black Cats boss.
The home team have no fresh injury or suspension concerns for their visit from the Sky Blues.
Coventry have no new issues either and Robins could elect to stick with the team who earned a creditable 1-1 draw at highflying Leeds last week.
The stats
Sunderland have won seven of their last ten home league games.
Only Huddersfield have drawn more Championship games than Coventry’s total of nine this season.
The Black Cats have kept just three clean sheets in their last 20 league matches at home.
Ten of their last 13 league games at the Stadium of Light have featured at least three goals.
Coventry have failed to score in just two of their last 14 league games on the road.
Prediction
It is usually the case that a new manager comes into a club in a state of crisis, but Sunderland’s decision to sack Tony Mowbray came as a surprise as the Black Cats are firmly in the playoff chase.
So new manager Michael Beale should only have to tinker with the team modestly and with seven wins earned in their last ten matches at the Stadium of Light, they should be confident of seeing off Coventry, who are struggling to reach the heights they did last season.
The Sky Blues lost last season’s playoff final to Luton on penalties and have suffered a bit of a hangover in the first half of this campaign.
They head into the weekend 16th in the table and away form is a concern with two wins claimed out of the 11 times they have been on their travels this term.
So they look up against it here, but the fact they have scored in 12 of their last 14 away games and Sunderland have kept just three cleans sheets in their last 20 at home suggests a home win in which both teams score is the best bet.