Sunderland fans question Regis Le Bris announcement v Cardiff - 'Why?'

Regis Le Bris has named his starting 11 for Sunderland's clash against Cardiff City, leaving plenty of supporters baffled at the decisions made.

Off the back of a crucial 2-1 victory away to Sheffield Wednesday, Sunderland return to home soil this afternoon with another massive encounter in front of them.

Cardiff City are the visitors at the Stadium of Light, with both sides in need of a win to strengthen their hopes of achieving their end goal, which stand at very different ends of the table. 

Sunderland still have a slim chance of automatic promotion, although it would take a huge turnaround for that to be the case, while Cardiff remain in danger of relegation ahead of the final 11 games of the season. 

Le Bris names Sunderland XI v Cardiff

Sunderland are heavy favourites for the clash against the Welsh outfit, though the team selection has been cause for concern for some on Wearside. 

Le Bris has opted to go for an unchanged 11 against Cardiff, meaning that Eliezer Mayenda leads the line once again after scoring a brace against the Owls that last time out.

However, that means no space for Wilson Isidor, and it's a decision that has left many Sunderland fans questioning why Le Bris has gone for what appears to be a negative lineup at home to one of the biggest strugglers this season.

Only time will tell if the decision pays off for the Frenchman, but if Sunderland fail to take all three points, he will inevitably come in for a lot of criticism.

A small minority of fans have already started to showcase frustration towards the Sunderland boss, though a win against the Welsh outfit would surely subdue those concerns.

Sunderland need to win v Cardiff 

While unlikely, a top-two finish for the Wearsiders is still achievable, though nearly any defeat from now until the end of the season will reduce those chances even further. 

However, even if that is out of sight for Sunderland, gaining momentum to take into the playoffs will be just as crucial, given how much of a lottery it can be at the best of times. 

Throughout the campaign, Le Bris’ side have showcased just how good they can be when they are at their best, and those levels need to be found for the final run-in.