There’s been a lot of transfer activity over the summer with players coming in, but there haven’t been that many who’ve moved out yet, so tonight’s game against Huddersfield offers them the opportunity to either stake their claim for a place in the starting XI come Saturday, or a move away from the club, either temporarily or permanently.
It’s unlikely we’ll see many of the players who started on Saturday start this evening, but one or two could come into the thinking to plug some gaps and to give some players additional minutes.
Goalkeeper: Anthony Patterson
Robin Roefs is undoubtedly first choice for Sunderland this season, but Anthony Patterson is a more than capable deputy, and will get a run out tonight.
Defence: Niall Huggins, Nordi Mukiele , Omar Alderete, Arthur Masuaku
New signing Nordi Mukiele will come into the team tonight, and given Dan Ballard’s injury he’s likely to start in the centre of defence as he’s likely to be needed there sooner rather than later. Alongside him could be Omar Alderete, who needs more game time to get to match fitness – he may play a half and Seelt could replace him at the interval. In the full back slots, Niall Huggins is likely to play on the right, and new signing Arthur Masuaku on the left.
Midfield: Dan Neil, Enzo Le Fee, Chris Rigg
The three players here can all count themselves unfortunate to have missed out on league starts so far, but they all have a chance to stake a claim for Saturday after Xhaka, Diarra and Sadiki turned in indifferent performances. I love watching Enzo and really hope we can figure out a place for him in centre of midfield for Premier League games, and a good showing tonight would go a long way to achieving that.
Attack: Patrick Roberts, Marc Guiu, Wilson Isidor
Up front, you feel there’s places up for grabs in the ‘league’ team, and these three will be chomping at the bit to make a good impression. Patrick Roberts is someone we know all about, and I do think he could have a lot to offer this season. The club brought Marc Guiu in as someone who can challenge for a first team berth from the off, while Wilson is another who I do think can stand up in the Premier League. He could well play off the left today, which will be interesting to see – he could offer us more of a goal threat from there.