Malc Dugdale says…
This could be one of our first great tests in front of what will be a big home crowd.
Our fans will be hoping for a good performance and a win after the international break, to maintain our good form across the first ten games. We are nearly a quarter of the way into the season, and we are in the top six, and the fans want that good start to continue.
Ideally, we will get at them and score early, and they will then have to have a go to get anything from the game, which could lead to a more open game and opportunities to score again.
It may well be a war of attrition, though, and the fans will have to be patient and have faith in the game plan deployed by Tony Mowbray and his coaching staff.
We know this Sunderland side has late goals in it- be that at home or away, as we witnessed regularly last season, and although we will have to be patient, I do think our patience will be rewarded. The pace and guile off the bench may make all the difference, as it has recently.
Onwards we march, strikerless but happy.
Mark Roberts says…
Preston have drawn six out of their opening twelve games, but significantly, they have lost two of their last three, albeit both at home.
They are ten places below us in the league and the difference in confidence must be huge. I think their plan will be to keep it tight and nick a goal, possibly through a set piece, so our defensive discipline and concentration are a must for the ninety minutes.
We need to go out and break them down, and width will be key. The ability of Jack Clarke and Patrick Roberts to stretch and turn their back five or seven could be pivotal, with Dan Neil and Corry Evans needing to be patient before playing the killer pass.
If we produce sustained pressure intertwined with that classy one-touch football, topped off with our new-found ruthlessness, we should be more than okay.
Let’s hope it is a show for a packed stadium!
Michael Dunne says…
I think this is a tricky game for the Lads.
With no actual strikers available to Tony Mowbray, the manager will have to think outside the box. Of course, we are going to have to be patient - that goes without saying against a team with such a good defence, and it will be interesting to see how the lads respond to the likely defensive wall they are going to face.
With players like Patrick Roberts and Alex Pritchard in our squad, however, we are blessed with many players who can probe and manipulate in order to create the necessary chances.
It is likely that it may take until late in the game for Sunderland to find the solutions and for this reason, I suspect our substitutes will become key. I would be inclined to think this game could only have one goal in it - and that it will come late on.
Loading comments...