Preview: Sunderland AFC vs Huddersfield Town
Written by Ben Boyd on 29th November 2023
Sunderland’s Stadium of Light stadium.
The Black Cats are set to host Darren Moore’s Huddersfield Town who are looking to curb their run of five winless matches at the Stadium Of Light tonight.
Tony Mowbray’s side succumbed to a 2-0 loss to Plymouth Argyle last time out, so the hosts will be looking to get back to winning ways with the backing of the Sunderland faithful.
Sunderland are currently in tenth place, but the close nature of Championship standings means they are just four points from Hull City in 6th place and Mowbray seems to have his young side heading in the right direction.
Huddersfield have struggled this season, leading to the sacking of Neil Warnock, who defied expectations last season as the club scraped to safety.
The managerial change has resulted in just one win in Moore’s first ten matches in charge of the Yorkshire club.
This fixture at the Stadium of Light last season ended in a 1-1 draw, with Huddersfield’s second-half equaliser cancelling out Joe Gelhardt’s opener.
Team news
Sunderland
Mowbray’s assistant Mark Venus was filling in for him at the press conference following a chest infection, but the Sunderland boss is expected to be in the dugout for the game.
Mason Burstow missed the Plymouth trip because of a minor knock but is expected to be back in the squad, Mark Venus confirmed ahead of the Huddersfield clash.
Chris Rigg is back from England U17 duty and in contention tonight.
The Cats are also without the long-term injured Aji Alese, Jay Matete, Corry Evans, and Timothée Pembélé, Venus confirmed.
Huddersfield Town
Moore has confirmed striker Kian Harratt will miss the trip to the North East after picking up a hamstring injury in the draw against Southampton last week.
Delano Burgzorg and David Kasumu cameod against the Saints after returning from injury, and are expected to play a part against Sunderland tonight.
Predicted line-ups
Sunderland
Patterson; Hume, O’Nien (c), Ballard, Huggins; Ekwah, Neil, Roberts, Aouchiche, Clarke; Rusyn.
Huddersfield
Maxwell; Pearson, Helik, Lees; Jackson, Kasumu, Hogg (c), Nakayama; Headley, Koroma, Thomas.
Players to watch
Sunderland – Jack Clarke
Sunderland’s Jack Clarke in Championship action. (Photo by Chris Fryatt/Alamy)
Jack Clarke reportedly had a number of Premier League sides interested in signing him in the summer and the rumours are not likely to go away if the English winger continues his form this season.
The former Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur prodigy has contributed nine goals and an assist in 17 Championship matches.
Huddersfield have conceded ten goals in their last five matches, Clarke will be on high alert and hoping he can take advantage of that porous defending and add further goal contributions to his already impressive tally.
Huddersfield – Josh Koroma
Huddersfield Town player Josh Koroma. (Photo by Arthur Haigh/Alamy)
With the injury Harratt sustained against Southampton, YorkshireLive has predicted the 25-year-old may play as a centre forward tonight.
The former Leyton Orient man will be a familiar sight to Sunderland fans, scoring the Terriers’ equaliser in this fixture at the Stadium of Light in April.
Having last scored in a 2-0 win over last-placed Rotherham in September, getting a goal tonight would be massive for both player and club if it means coming away with a point or more on a difficult away day.
Match details
Where is the match being played?
The match is being played at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland.
When is the match kicking off?
The match is set to kick-off at 19:45 tonight (Tuesday, November 29).
How/where can I watch the match?
Tickets in the Stadium of Light are still available for tonight’s clash and can be bought by clicking here.
Additionally, all of tonight’s Championship fixtures are to be broadcasted by Sky. Sky subscribers can watch the match live Sky Sports Football on TV, or through the Sky Sports App and/or website.
