Starting XI: Is this how Sunderland will line up against Millwall today?
03/29/2025 02:00 AM
Full backs? Who needs full backs?!
Defence is going to be interesting today. With injuries to Dennis Cirkin and Leo Hjelde adding to Aji Alese's and Niall Huggins' almost consistent presence in the treatment room, we're severely depleted at left back. I think that one's a bit of bad luck, really – a Championship club can't realistically carry more than 3-4 first-team ready left backs, so I don't think there's much we could have done to mitigate that really. On the other side it's a bit of a different story – Trai Hume returned from international duty early with an injury he apparently has been carrying for a while, while begs the question as to why we let him go in the first place – especially as we've got no other right backs – bar Huggins. Right back has been flagged by pretty much everyone as a position we were lacking in both in the summer and in January, so the club are reaping what they sowed here to some extent.
Of course, if Ballard wasn't injured – and if Seelt wasn't also out with a worrying knee issue – we'd move O'Nien to one of the full-back positions. But we don't have that option.
The other possibility is we go to three at the back, but in Le Bris's press conference, he pretty much ruled that out, saying he wanted to keep the same system and formation as has been deployed this season.
Aside from the defence, the biggest question I think is who plays up front, as the rest of the team pretty much picks itself.
So, here's how we might line up...
Goalkeeper: Anthony Patterson
Personally, I'd play Simon Moore for a couple of games as I think Patterson's been out of form for a while and could do with being taken out of the firing line – he should have done better with at least two of Coventry's goals, and that added to a growing list of goals conceded that fall into the 'could have / should have done better' category. But I think Le Bris will stick with him – hopefully he has a good run of form now as the last thing we need is to go into the play offs with a keeper who's struggling with confidence.
Defence: Alan Browne, Chris Mepham, Luke O'Nien, Joe Anderson
This is where it gets interesting. While Hume's injury isn't thought to be serious, Le Bris did seem to send out contradictory messages in his press conference – he initially appeared to say Hume was ok for the weekend, then namechecked Hume, as well as Le Fee and Hjelde, as being back for next week. So I think he'll sit Hume out for a little while with the intention of getting him completely ready for the last few league games and the play offs. Who replaces him, with no natural right backs to choose from? Alan Browne will probably drop back there – he has played there a bit for Preston, and is experienced enough to do a job there. We've seen before that central midfielders – I'm thinking Dean Whitehead, Gary Owers and Jack Colback here – can do a good job at full back, so I don't have too many concerns there as a short term fix. In the centre it'll be unchanged – even if we had everyone fit I doubt we'd see any difference here – but the big question is what happens at left back. On face value, if we do stick with a back four, it looks like a straight choice between Joe Anderson and Ollie Bainbridge, unless we did something like dropping Rigg in there, which I think is unlikely. Bainbridge was on loan in Scotland earlier in the season and played six games for Kilmarnock, but didn't establish himself in the team at all. He's almost 22, so not a youngster anymore, and has been pictured on first team training pictures this week. However, Joe Anderson, who signed from Everton a couple of seasons ago, could well get the nod, and I'm only basing that on the fact he's been preferred to Bainbridge on the bench in recent weeks.
Midfield: Dan Neil, Chris Rigg, Jobe
Given the forced changes at full back, I think we'll go with our regular and probably strongest line up from here on in. Rigg and Jobe both did well on international duty this week, and should return in good spirits, while Dan Neil will hopefully have benefited from a rest after a couple of below par games after a superb run of form.
Attack: Patrick Roberts, Wilson Isidor, Romaine Mundle
Patrick Roberts and Romaine Mundle will be on the wings – I don't see Tommy Watson challenging Mundle for his starting place in the immediate future, while Roberts doesn't have a great deal of competition unless we put Mayenda out there, which I'd like to see us try at certain points. Through the middle, it's a straight battle between Mayenda and Isidor –and I think we'll go with Wilson today. Mayenda's been away with Spain and had played a lot of football beforehand, and we need to get Isidor peaking again ahead of the play offs, so hopefully we'll see a strong return to form for the Frenchman.
