Sunderland are likely to miss out on the boat of automatic promotion up to the Premier League, but Regis Le Bris' first season at the Black Cats helm will still be seen as a success at this point in time.
The Wearside outfit are very much comfortable occupying a playoff spot in the Championship, with the Frenchman on course to steer his high flyers to their 20th league win of the season if Sunderland can get the better of Preston North End on their own patch.
Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris on the touchline
To pick up another three points, Le Bris will know he needs his main marksman Wilson Isidor to be firing on all cylinders, with the 24-year-old a revelation up top.
Isidor's heroics for Sunderland this season
There would have been a worry in the air when Isidor initially entered the building on loan from Zenit St. Petersburg, with Sunderland falling victim to a number of goal-shy centre-forwards last campaign in the form of Nazariy Rusyn and Mason Burstow.
However, there didn't need to be such concern over the Black Cats' left-field buys this time around, with Isidor proving himself to be a reliable source of impressive strikes in the second tier since joining.
Sunderland even forked out £3m in the last transfer window to make Isidor's stay permanent, with the Frenchman repaying his team's faith with excellent goals such as the one against Leeds United in February.
During that clash, Sky Sports journalist Dougie Critchley referred to the 6 foot 1 attacker as a "one-man machine" for the ease at which he shrugged off Ethan Ampadu to then fire home.
In total, Isidor finds himself on 12 goals and two assists in Championship action, with a hope on the Frenchman's end that he is Premier League-bound very soon.
Wilson-Isidor-Sunderland
But, the promotion candidates might well have saved themselves some hassle if they'd kept a firmer grip on their former striker who left the Stadium of Light in 2019 in premature fashion.
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Sunderland's "special" academy star now better than Isidor
It's well known to many now that Sunderland have a reputation for producing some top-quality youngsters, with the current crop at Le Bris' disposal boasting the likes of Jobe Bellingham and Chris Rigg, among other standout names.
But, it might be forgotten that Josh Maja's first big break in the senior game came on Wearside, with the wide-eyed starlet an instant hit in the first team picture when given a shot.
Josh-Maja
Yet, as Sunderland are all too aware of when it comes to Bellingham and Co in the here and now, it's hard to keep their best prospects around after they've exploded into life, with Maja's electric return of 17 goals from 49 first team appearances piquing Bordeaux's interest.
Bordeaux eventually won their man for £3.5m, and whilst the now 26-year-old's playing days haven't always been smooth sailing since exiting Sunderland owing to injury concerns, he is still very much a goal machine when at the peak of his powers. That has been seen this season when lining up for the Black Cats' promotion foes in West Bromwich Albion.
Maja vs Isidior in 2024/25
Stat
Games played
Goals scored
Assists
Shots per 90
Scoring frequency
Big chances created
Big chances missed
Stats by Sofascore
Looking at the table above, Maja has been even more clinical than Isidor this season arguably, with fewer big chances missed and a faster goalscoring frequency than his Sunderland counterpart on display.
The "special" attacker - as he was labelled by Carlos Corberan earlier this campaign - is currently sidelined with another injury issue, but he might well end up firing the Baggies to promotion if he can recapture his form back at full fitness, with his deadliness in-front of goal reportedly making him a £15m target for some Premier League sides.
Josh-Maja-West-Brom
Ultimately, Sunderland will regret not being able to keep Maja around for longer, but Le Bris will just pray Isidor has enough in the tank to guide his team up to the top-flight over Tony Mowbray's challengers.
Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris before the match Related
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