Sunderland v Leeds UnitedFriday 4th October@ 20:00 | Stadium of LightLeeds travel to Monkwearmouth on Friday evening, to face an in-form Sunderland side yet to concede a goal at home!
They have won all four of their games at the Stadium of Light this term, and currently top the division with 18 points. Despite being top goalscorers (16 goals), Romaine Mundle is the Black Cat's leading scorer with just three goals, showcasing a vast array of attacking options (10 different scorers) Regis Le Bris has at his disposal.
Leeds have actually lost a game less than Sunderland, but sit three points and four places below them in fifth position. Daniel Farke's men lost this resulting fixture last season (1-0) and were held 0-0 at Elland Road. The last time Leeds beat the Mackems was during the 17/18 season (at Sunderland) with Saiz and Dallas on the scoresheet.
Regis Le Bris is likely to stick with the same Sunderland XI that beat Derby 2-0 on Tuesday evening. Ian Poveda misses out on the chance of an Elland Road reunion with a hamstring issue. Exciting forward Eliezer Mayenda has a slight thigh strain and won't be risked, whilst Dan Bollard is still several weeks shy of a return to action following his ankle injury. Alan Browne could play a part against Leeds after no adverse reactions after coming on late against Derby County.
Manor Solomon is making good progress, but with his injury list, won't see any action until after the International break. Dan James will once again miss out with his troublesome hamstring injury whilst Max Wober has been ruled out for six weeks after undergoing surgery in Austria to remove a cyst on his meniscus.
Skipper Ethan Ampadu will be out of action until the New Year (LCL knee injury). He'll be joined on the side-lines by fellow midfielder Ilea Gruev, though we're still waiting on results from the scans. New signing Isaac Schmidt has recovered from his thigh injury, and looks set to take a place on the bench.
