Starting XI: Sunderland vs Birmingham – will Mowbray shuffle the pack again?

Luke O’Nien missed out on Monday due to the arrival of his new baby, while it was probably a little surprising that Ba, Ekwah and Pritchard all started the game at Cardiff.

We played well and won though, so it’s fair to say the manager got it spot on – so how will that affect how we line up today in a game that is perfectly winnable, and if we get all three points could have us firmly back in the playoff race.

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Goalkeeper: Anthony Patterson

A comfortable clean sheet last time out for Patterson, who’s done incredibly well overall this season.

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Defence: Trai Hume, Danny Batth, Luke O’Nien, Dennis Cirkin

Dennis Cirkin’s been a big miss for much of this season, and it was great to see return to action with a goal on Monday. Luke O’Nien should be back today, so I think we’ll revert to a back four.

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Midfield: Pierre Ekwah, Dan Neil

After conceding the late penalty against Hull, Pierre Ekwah started the game on Monday and played really well. He had an almost 100% pass completion ratio in the first half of the game and I think it was a really smart piece of management by Tony Mowbray. Will he start today? I think he might, and if he does it will surely be alongside Dan Neil.

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Attack: Patrick Roberts, Alex Pritchard, Amad, Jack Clarke

Joe Gelhardt was dropped to the bench on Monday after finally breaking his Stadium of Light duck a few days earlier, and I think he’ll stay there today after Alex Pritchard’s display at Cardiff. Patrick Roberts was rested on Monday, and I think he’ll come back into the team today, too.

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