Black Cats trio eye return against Stoke

Sunderland

• Andy Reid could return to the starting line-up after four weeks out with a groin strain.
• Michael Turner and Phil Bardsley are hoping to return after injury.
• Home teams have won five of the last six meetings between the two teams.
• Darren Bent has scored four goals in his last six games.

• Midfielder Lee Cattermole is struggling with a hamstring strain.
• The Black Cats have not won for nine league games.
• John Mensah is out for another week with a hamstring problem.
• Anton Ferdinand is still troubled by ankle trouble.
• The Black Cats have kept one clean sheet in their last 13 league matches.
• Sunderland have conceded 18 goals in their last six Premier League fixtures.

Stoke City

• Tony Pulis’s side beat Sunderland 1-0 at home in August.
• Stoke are unbeaten in their last three fixtures including last weekend‘s 3-1 FA Cup win over Arsenal.

• The Potters have scored only four goals in ten Premier League matches on the road this season.
• Stoke have won just three of their last 29 league matches.

Expert Advice

Sunderland were carrying all before them less than three months ago but it’s a very different story now with Steve Bruce’s low on confidence and desperately in need of a win to halt their alarming slide down the table. While the goals have dried up at one end of the pitch, the Black Cats have made conceding goals an art form in recent weeks and they must tighten up at the back if they are to stop a Stoke side in buoyant mood after their win against Arsenal. Strikers Darren Bent and Kenwyne Jones seem certain to pose a few headaches for the Potters defence, though, and, with the home crowd urging them on, Sunderland could end their search for a win but Betsson’s odds of 3.4 for a draw looks a sound bet.

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