Sunderland welcome Joey Barton’s Fleetwood Town to the Stadium of Light on Tuesday night. Both sides are in form, but ruthless Sunderland are looking for a fifth straight win. The Black Cats will also be hoping to keep yet another clean sheet. Should they do so, it would be nine in ten games.
Phil Parkinson has turned his team around since Christmas and credit is richly deserved. Should his side secure the three points they could be in the top two at full time.
Ruthless Sunderland Look to Derail In-Form Fleetwood
Phil Parkinson and his Ruthless Sunderland Side Deserve Credit
During the Christmas period, the Black Cats were at the lowest point in their history. Fans were rightly wondering if the appointment of Parkinson was a huge mistake. The past 14 games have seen just one defeat. Eight of the past nine have seen clean sheets.
Parkinson has transformed his men into a ruthless and almost impossible team to score against. The Black Cats have enjoyed games where they have dominated and won with ease. Other games have seen their determination to grind out a result.
Sunderland are currently the best team in all four divisions in 2020. They are currently on eight victories, 26 points and eight clean sheets. Although these stats are impressive, Parkinson, his team and the fans know there is still a long way to go. However, the Black Cats have given themselves an excellent chance of winning promotion.
Sticking with a Winning Team and Formation Works
It was reported in the Sunderland Echo that some sections of the Sunderland faithful have not been happy with team selections of late. However, Phil Parkinson’s decision to keep a winning side and formation, apart from enforced changes has paid off.
Several players were brought in during January. Some were expecting these to go straight into the first team. However, the form of the players already in the team coupled with impressive results has meant Parkinson has had the luxury of keeping a settled side. Should results and performances remain positive, questions should not be asked regarding players or tactics.
Tough Game Expected for Both Teams
Both Sunderland and Fleetwood are currently in a rich vein of form. Sunderland put up their record of one loss in 14 games and eight clean sheets in nine matches against Fleetwood’s own impressive form. The Cod Army have won their last five, conceding just three in their last six games.
Momentum Key for Joey Barton
Like Sunderland, Fleetwood are a team in form. Barton’s men are undefeated in their last eight games and currently lie in sixth place, three points behind their hosts on Tuesday.
Ahead of the game, Fleetwood manager Joey Barton admits momentum is key:
“Momentum is absolutely everything. We’ve taken some of Peterborough and Portsmouth’s momentum away – now we need to go to Sunderland and do the same thing.”
“We are that stage where we are thinking, who is next? We go to Sunderland on Tuesday night with nothing to lose and absolutely everything to gain,” he told the club’s website.
Team News
Phil Parkinson is expected to stick with the same eleven that started against Bristol Rovers. Alim Ozturk replaced the injured Bailey Wright at the heart of the defence and should keep his place. New signings Kyle Lafferty, Josh Scowen and Declan John are pushing for starts; however, due to the Black Cats current form, they will need to be patient.
Like his counterpart, Barton is expected to stick with a winning team. After five straight wins, three of those coming against fellow promotion rivals, Portsmouth, Peterborough and Wycombe, confidence will be high amongst his starting eleven.
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