Sunderland’s five-game losing streak came to an end on Friday night at just the right time. A 2-1 away victory at Coventry City has given the Black Cats the advantage heading into Tuesday night’s playoff final second leg at a sold-out Stadium of Light.
Here we have the latest Sunderland team news ahead of the big game, and also our predicted lineup
Read More: Sunderland Playoff SemiFinal 2nd Leg History
Sunderland Team News and Predicted Lineup vs Coventry City Ahead of Playoff Semifinal 2nd Leg
Romain Mundle Will Be in the Squad
Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris has confirmed that winger Romaine Mundle, who has missed the last six games with a hamstring injury is fit and will be part of the squad for Tuesday night’s playoff final second-leg. He said: “Romaine is available. He is ready to play maybe ten, 15, 20, 25 minutes. We know that he can’t start at the minute, it is not possible, but he is a strong option to have on the bench.”
This is positive news for Le Bris and for Sunderland fans. Although only a cameo is expected, Mundle’s ability means he could be a very useful impact sub should the Black Cats need something different going forward in the latter stages of the game.
Aji Alese Not Ready
Defender Aji Alese, however, will not be available. The 24-year-old has been missing for the bulk of the season after fracturing a bone in his leg. Regis Le Bris confirmed his absence, but did state that despite the defender recovering quicker than expected, he could be ready should his side reach the playoff final at Wembley on Saturday, May 24th.
Patrick Roberts Praised
Regis Le Bris reserved special praise for Patrick Roberts during his recent press conference. The talented winger can be unplayable when on form and Le Bris has been impressed with him and is highly unlikely to rest him despite doing so recently when Sunderland have played two games close together. He said: “This season, Patrick has shown great consistency.
“That wasn’t really the case last season or maybe the season before. He is in a good place and is a really strong team-mate. He showed again at Coventry how important he was in the out-of-possession phase. He is a winger, really talented and technical, but he was also a strong team-mate out of possession for us. Patrick was really important for us, and I think he will be ready to start tomorrow.”
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Predicted Lineup
We expect Regis Le Bris to stick with the same eleven and 4-4-2 formation that served him well in the first leg. Romaine Mundle, back in the squad following an injury, will start from the substitutes bench.
GK Anthony Patterson
RB Trai Hume
CB Dan Ballard
CB Luke O’Nien
LB Dennis Cirkin
CM Dan Neil
CM Jobe Bellingham
RW Patrick Roberts
LW Enzo Le Fee
ST Eliezer Mayenda
ST Wilson Isidor
Subs: Moore, Mepham, Hjelde, Browne, Rigg, Mundle, Watson, Samed, Seelt
Current Odds
Sunderland 11/8, Draw 5/2, Coventry 7/4
Odds are correct as of 2 pm Tuesday via Sky Bet)
