View: Sunderland can run riot against Sheffield United as pair ruled out
Sheffield United will be without at least Anel Ahmedhodzic and Oliver Arblaster when they host Sunderland on Friday night and Sunderland must take advantage.
Sunderland’s winless run continued with a frustrating draw at Millwall but a selection crisis at Sheffield United could be cause for optimism ahead of the top-of-the-table clash on 29 November.
Ahmedhodzic was sent off for serious foul play against Coventry while Arblaster confirmed he is to be out for the season after picking up an injury in the derby encounter with Sheffield Wednesday.
Jeserun Rak-Sakyi was also seen limping off against Coventry though no update has been issued on his fitness.
With several key players missing, Sunderland have an excellent opportunity to get one over on one of their biggest promotion threats.
Sunderland need to improve against West Brom and Sheffield United
While a point away to Millwall is a decent result, the circumstances surrounding it were frustrating with Regis Le Bris admitting it was “difficult” to take.
It meant that the Black Cats extended their winless run to four heading into Tuesday’s encounter against West Brom.
The next two fixtures will be some of the trickiest the Mackems have faced so far, with both sides having had a good campaign so far.
While nothing is season-defining in November, the next two encounters will provide a real indication as to where the Black Cats are in terms of their credentials to achieve promotion this season and failure to win either game will be cause for concern.
The Wearsiders are currently on a nine-game unbeaten run which remains impressive but failure to turn draws into wins could severely hinder their season and it is something that must be addressed as a matter of urgency.
In other Sunderland news, Liverpool are reportedly keen on signing Trey Ogunsuyi.
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