Hearts vs Sunderland preview: Team news, lineups, prediction
Sunderland will take on Hearts at Tynecastle Park on Saturday in a match that will be treated as a testimonial for Craig Gordon.
The Black Cats have enjoyed a positive start to pre-season, despite results suggesting otherwise.
A draw against Sevilla saw Regis Le Bris’ side take the lead and dominate for the first half, until changes allowed the Spanish side back into the game.
And a narrow loss against Portuguese champions Sporting CP displayed promising signs for the young team, with the trip to Hearts on Saturday (26 July) set to bring a new test.
Team news
Goalkeeper Anthony Patterson missed both friendlies played at Estadio Algarve with a minor knock, but the 25-year-old could return on Saturday.
The same can be said of Chris Rigg, who could now be set for a return to action. And there could be a debut for new signing Reinildo, who joined up with the Sunderland squad late due to his involvement in the Club World Cup.
Niall Huggins and Wilson Isidor were missing against Sporting CP, but Le Bris has since explained that this was a precautionary move and the players should return against Hearts.
Trai Hume, Dan Ballard, Jason Seelt and Huggins are expected to start at the back, with Noah Sadiki, Habib Diarra and Enzo Le Fee set to make up the midfield three.
Chemsdine Talbi, Simon Adingra and Eliezer Mayenda could complete the team in attack.
Prediction: Hearts 1-3 Sunderland
Despite Saturday’s friendly being played as a testimonial, Sunderland will want to ensure that they are applying the required intensity for their Premier League preparations.
Le Bris’ side have shown significant promise in pre-season so far, and Hearts may be the first opponents to feel the true force.
Several new signings are still looking for their first goals in red and white, and it would not be a surprise to see Talbi or Adingra making their way onto the scoresheet.
Whilst Sunderland have looked good so far, they must rapidly learn to translate that pressure into goals and, ultimately, wins – Saturday could be the perfect time to start doing so.
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