Sunderland will be going in search of their first Championship win in four games when they travel to the John Smith's Stadium to face Huddersfield Town on Wednesday.
The Terriers are unbeaten in two, and they will be looking to win a second game at home in less than a week.
Match preview
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Huddersfield have so far struggled to bounce back from a defeat to Nottingham Forest in last season's playoff final, amassing just 15 points from 16 games, a tally that leaves them inside the relegation zone, in 23rd place.
The new West Bromwich Albion manager Carlos Corberan left the Terriers in the summer after coming so close to promotion to the Premier League, but his replacement, Danny Schofield, did not fare well, and he was sacked less than two months into the Championship season.
Mark Rotheringham was installed as manager at the end of September, and the former Hertha Berlin assistant has picked up eight points from his first seven games in charge, a slight improvement in fortunes for the Terriers, but they remain two points from safety.
Heading into this round of fixtures, Middlesbrough are the side outside the relegation zone closest to the hosts, and Rotheringham's men ensured that Boro could not pull clear of them in their last away game by drawing 0-0 at the Riverside Stadium.
Following that, Huddersfield recorded a 1-0 victory at home to Millwall, an impressive result considering that the Lions had won their last four matches before the trip to the John Smith's Stadium, with an early Yuta Nakayama strike proving to be the difference between the two sides.
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Sunderland have made a steady start to their first season back in the Championship after a four-year absence, currently in 16th place with 21 points after 17 games.
After leading the charge to promotion, manager Alex Neil opted to leave the club to join Stoke City at the end of August, with the club's hierarchy acting swiftly to bring in Tony Mowbray as the new boss, and the former Blackburn Rovers manager won two of his first three games in charge.
However, since a 3-0 win at Reading, the Mackems have won just one of their last eight league games, a 2-1 win at home to Wigan Athletic in the middle of October, with Mowbray not being able to continue his winning start.
In that sequence of games, four matches ended in draws, meaning that Sunderland have been able to get some points on the board, while two of the defeats came against the teams that will start this week's round of fixtures in the automatic promotion places, losing 2-0 at Blackburn Rovers and 4-2 at home to Burnley.
Last time out, the Mackems again had to settle for a point in a 1-1 draw away at Luton Town, with Carlton Morris's strike just before the break being cancelled out by a clinical finish from Elliot Embleton in the 78th minute.
Team News
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Huddersfield's Jonathan Hogg has missed the last nine games with a calf injury, and he is set to be out until later on in November, with Michal Helik and Tom Lees set to keep their place in the centre of defence after clean sheets in their last two games.
Yuta Nakayama has made 13 Championship appearances at left-back this season, and after scoring the winner on Saturday, he is in all likelihood going to play again, although Oliver Turton may not be able to play on the opposite side after getting a knock against Millwall, so Duane Holmes could come into the team.
The Terriers have favoured a 4-2-3-1 system in their last two matches, with Danny Ward likely to lead the line, having started in the last six games, although he has only managed to score one goal.
For Sunderland, striker Ross Stewart started the season very well, weighing in with five goals and three assists in his first seven Championship appearances, although he has been injured since the end of August and is not set to return before the World Cup.
In his absence, Amad Diallo has been given more game time, getting his first Sunderland goal against Burnley at the end of October, while Jack Clarke has also contributed with a very impressive four goals and six assists in the league so far.
Huddersfield Town possible starting lineup:
Nicholls; Holmes, Lees, Helik, Nakayama; Kasumu, Camara, Thomas, Rudoni, Jackson; Ward
Sunderland possible starting lineup:
Patterson; O'Nien, Wright, Batth, Cirkin; Evans, Neil, Dajaku, Pritchard, Diallo; Clarke
We say: Huddersfield Town 1-1 Sunderland
Sunderland have made a habit out of drawing games recently, and we expect that to continue. Huddersfield recorded a good win against Millwall last time out, but it is too early to say whether they have turned the corner.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Dominic Lund
