Sunderland return to motion on the Stadium of Gentle as soon as once more as they welcome native rivals Middlesbrough to Wearside this afternoon.
The Black Cats want to construct on their spectacular run of six wins of their final seven Championship matches and head into the October worldwide break inside the play-off locations.
Tony Mowbray’s aspect are presently three factors forward of seventh-placed Norwich Metropolis and 6 factors behind Ipswich City, who occupy the second automated promotion place.
Nevertheless, they’re now up in opposition to a Middlesbrough crew that come into this match off the again of three successive wins; in opposition to Southampton, Watford, and Cardiff.
What is the newest Sunderland crew information?
The Black Cats boss not too long ago revealed that Alex Pritchard is an enormous doubt for immediately’s conflict with a calf pressure, after the attacking midfielder missed out on the 2-0 win over the Hornets in midweek.
Quite a lot of different gamers, as confirmed by Mowbray previous to the conflict with Watford, are additionally set to be unavailable for choice this night.
Central midfielder Pierre Ekwah and midfielder Bradley Dack are each resulting from step up their respective recoveries throughout the upcoming worldwide break, while Aji Alese and Eliezer Mayenda are additionally each working their means again to full health.
These damage points have left the pinnacle coach with restricted choices to rotate his squad in opposition to Middlesbrough. Nevertheless, he does nonetheless have some high quality choices who could possibly be known as upon to make an influence.
One participant who have to be unleashed from the beginning is former Ukraine U21 worldwide Nazariy Rusyn, who might are available in to interchange Mason Burstow on the prime finish of the pitch.
What number of targets has Mason Burstow scored this season?
The on-loan centre-forward is but to open his goalscoring account for the Black Cats since his transfer from Chelsea throughout the summer time switch window.
Sunderland have been dealt an enormous blow for the 2023/24 marketing campaign after they offered Scotland worldwide Ross Stewart to Championship rivals Southampton.
The 27-year-old ahead had scored ten targets and supplied three assists in 13 league outings for the membership in the beginning of final season, previous to his Achilles damage.
His distinctive type got here after a powerful 2021/22 marketing campaign at League One stage. Stewart racked up 26 targets and three assists in 49 matches to assist the crew earn promotion again to the second tier.
The previous Ross County marksman proved himself to be a dependable scoring possibility for Alex Neil and Mowbray all through his time on the Stadium of Gentle.
Kristjaan Speakman wanted to interchange that attacking spark throughout the summer time, significantly after final season’s prime scorer Amad Diallo – with 14 league targets – returned to Manchester United,
Nevertheless, the Sunderland sporting director’s transfer to signal Burstow from Chelsea on a brief foundation has not paid off as of but because the striker has struggled to seek out his toes in entrance of purpose.
What number of photographs has Burstow had for Sunderland?
The 20-year-old marksman has had 5 photographs in 5 Championship appearances for the Black Cats since his change to Wearside on mortgage.
He has registered zero targets and one help in these matches and averaged a Sofasore ranking of 6.72 for his performances, which is the 18th-highest rating inside the squad.
The younger gem’s lack of physicality has been a difficulty for him as far as opposition defenders have discovered it far too simple to get the higher of him at occasions.
Burstow has misplaced a staggering 79% of his floor duels and 80% of his aerial battles within the second tier, as per Sofascore, for Sunderland this season.
This exhibits that his opponents have been in a position to dominate him, on the deck and within the air, in matches, and this may increasingly have contributed to his lack of success on the prime finish of the pitch as he has been unable to beat off competitors from a defender to get an opportunity in entrance of purpose.
His type for Mowbray’s aspect comes after a return of ten targets in 25 Premier League 2 clashes for Chelsea’s U21 crew final season, which adopted on from two targets in 16 League One outings on mortgage with Charlton throughout the 2021/22 marketing campaign.
What number of targets did Rusyn rating for Zorya?
Sunderland swooped to signal Rusyn from Zorya on a everlasting deal in the summertime after the 24-year-old whiz scored 21 targets in 49 matches for his former membership.
The Ukrainian ace produced 13 targets and 6 assists in 30 league matches all through the 2022/23 season, and adopted that up with one purpose in two outings this time period earlier than his change to England.
Whereas, no present Sunderland participant managed greater than Jack Clarke’s tally of 9 Championship strikes final season and solely Diallo (14) scored greater than him in complete.
These statistics counsel that the potential is there for him to be a superb scoring possibility for the membership if the gifted teenager can translate that type over to English soccer.
Nevertheless, Rusyn is but to make his full debut for the Black Cats as he has solely been known as upon as an alternative on three events to this point, with a median of eight minutes per look.
The summer time signing did, although, play 70 minutes for the membership’s U21 aspect in a current 3-1 win over Derby County and caught the attention with a powerful show.
U21 coach John Hewitson hailed Rusyn as a ahead with “real tempo” as the previous Zorya star received a penalty and registered an help all through his time on the pitch.
Mowbray ought to now look to unleash the Ukrainian ace for the primary time from the beginning this afternoon in opposition to Middlesbrough to see if he can translate his type from his residence nation over to the Championship.
Burstow has struggled to supply a lot as a goalscoring menace or as a bodily outlet on the prime finish of the pitch and Rusyn’s scoring file and tempo might present the crew with a distinct possibility within the ultimate third to trigger issues for Boro.
Subsequently, Sunderland may benefit from transferring the on-loan Chelsea ahead out of the way in which for the 5 foot 10 finisher to announce himself to the group on the Stadium of Gentle along with his full debut immediately.
