With no televised (English) top-flight game yesterday, Sunday’s double-header has us eagerly anticipating some live Premier League action. The Dugout Discussion opens for the second day of Gameweek 15, with a relegation scrap and a game between two sides aiming for Europe.
We start at the Stadium of Light as Martin O’Neill takes over the reigns as Sunderland manager. His first assignment is against a Blackburn side whose manager, in total contrast, is hanging onto his job for dear life. Having said that, Steve Kean has a win against Swansea last week to build on. Here are the all-important team sheets…
Sunderland XI: Westwood, O’Shea, Bardsley, Brown, Bramble, Richardson, Larsson, Colback, Vaughan, Sessegnon, Wickham.
Blackburn XI: Robinson, Salgado, Samba, Dann, Givet, Formica, Dunn, Lowe, Pederson, Vuckevic, Yakubu.
Sunderland striker Niklas Bendtner is kept out with a groin injury, and in his place Connor Wickham gets his first league start since October. The visitors are also without a key striker, as Junior Hoilett picked up a training ground hamstring injury that sees him miss out.
Following that it’s over to the Britannia Stadium where Stoke City host Tottenham Hotspur. Stoke’s ambition this season will be to match last season’s success of reaching the Europa League, whereas the visitor’s will have their sights set on returning to Europe’s premier competition after a year out. That’ll then just leave Monday night’s grand finale at Stamford Bridge to bring the gameweek to a close.
The Dugout Discussion chatroom is open for all today’s action.
