Sunderland square off against Plymouth Argyle on Saturday afternoon looking for the win that may move the club back into the Championship playoff places.
The Black Cats currently sit in eighth spot in the table at a time when Plymouth make the trip to the Stadium of Light in 15th position.
Match preview
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Michael Beale would have gone into last weekend's Tees-Wear derby knowing that a win over Middlesbrough would have gone some way to winning over Sunderland's fanbase.
Instead, Beale had to make do with a comeback draw at the Riverside Stadium, taking him to 11 points from eight games since his arrival in the North East.
While that return is below expectations, it has been enough to keep Sunderland in the mix for promotion, with just four points separating them from fifth-placed West Bromwich Albion.
Of all the teams in contention for the playoffs, Sunderland have the most favourable run of fixtures on paper, facing no team in the top eight until March 5.
Nevertheless, we are at the stage of the season when teams lower down the standings are fighting for survival, as has been the case with Plymouth under Ian Foster.
Losing Steven Schumacher to Stoke City was deemed to be a blow at the time, but it has brought a new lease of life to Argyle with a hatful of fresh faces.
Back-to-back victories have been posted against Cardiff City and Swansea City in the Championship, taking Plymouth up to the dizzy heights of 15th spot after promotion from League One in 2022-23.
Although Plymouth went down 4-1 to Leeds United in the FA Cup fourth round on Tuesday, that setback will not dent confidence and enthusiasm surrounding what has been an excellent comeback campaign to the second tier.
A run of three successive fixtures at Home Park follow this game, the location for three quarters of Plymouth's points, but they will be desperate to build on finally ending their 14-game winless streak on the road last week.
Team News
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Having scored Sunderland's equaliser against Boro, Nazarii Rusyn will expect to be handed a recall down the middle of the attack.
Patrick Roberts is also pushing for an opportunity after recovering from injury, while Daniel Ballard is expected to shake off a knock.
As for Plymouth, the likes of Darko Gyabi, Adam Forshaw and Alfie Devine should all return after being ineligible for the FA Cup tie with Leeds.
Lino Sousa is also pushing for a place in the starting lineup after Plymouth signed the former Arsenal youngster on loan from Aston Villa.
Michael Cooper and Jordan Houghton will both miss out for the visitors due to injury.
Sunderland possible starting lineup:
Patterson; Hume, Ballard, O'Nien, Hjelde; Neil; Ba, Ekwah, Bellingham, Clarke; Rusyn
Plymouth Argyle possible starting lineup:
Hazard; Phillips, Gibson, Galloway; Mumba, Gyabi, Forshaw, Miller; Whittaker, Devine; Hardie
We say: Sunderland 2-2 Plymouth Argyle
Although Sunderland are the marginal favourites for this contest, it feels as though they are playing a resurgent Plymouth at the wrong time. With their new signings back in the side, we expect the Pilgrims to earn a share of the spoils in an entertaining tussle.
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