Dodds ditches Semedo and “stunning” star returns as sunderland faces leicester

With the Black Cats being in a terrible condition in the Championship, Sunderland will be eager to defeat the Foxes in their matchup with Leicester City tomorrow night.

The dismay of the Stadium of Light crowd is evident in the fact that Mike Dodds, the interim manager, has lost both of his first two games in charge of Sunderland after Michael Beale was fired.

Since then, Sunderland has fallen to ninth in the second division under Dodds, and any upcoming victory—regardless of the score—will do as long as the struggling Black Cats get more points.

Top of the table Naturally, Sunderland will not find Leicester easy, but with three losses in their previous four games, Enzo Maresca’s team may be vulnerable and Sunderland may try to take advantage of this.

In light of that, the following is Dodds’ anticipated starting lineup, which includes two probable substitutions from the team’s most recent 1-0 loss to Norwich City.

 

GK: Anthony Patterson

Neil Value: Patterson-Sunderland-Mowbray Championship

After playing every minute of the Championship this season, Anthony Patterson is more than certain to keep his starting position in goal for Sunderland.

 

Patterson, who has amassed eight clean sheets thus far, will aim to defeat Leicester tomorrow night in order to secure a significant victory.

2RB – Trai Hume

Underland-Hume-Championship
One of the top names on the roster right now is Trai Hume, who was frequently selected in defense by Mowbray and Beale before Dodds was brought back into the spotlight as a temporary manager.

For good reason, Dodds has persisted with Hume as his starting right-back; despite his team’s latest defeat, the Northern Irish star was a vibrant presence and winner of two duels against the Canaries.

3 CB: Ballard, Samuel, Adjei, and the Championship
Daniel Ballard (a former Arsenal player) could make his way back into the starting lineup in the first alteration to the eleven that lost to Norwich 1-0 previous game. Ballard has missed Sunderland’s last two games due to a two-match suspension for receiving ten yellow cards.

Ballard’s absence has been duly filled in by Jenson Seelt, with the Dutchman recording four tackles at Carrow Road. However, the 24-year-old center-back ought to return to the team to fortify a defense that is starting to show weaknesses.

Josh Bunting, a football journalist, called Ballard “stunning” at the beginning of the season, and he will be ready to go if chosen tonight.

Luke O’Nien, 4th CB
Nathan-Luke-Sunderland
In this possible starting lineup, Luke O’Nien, a former Wycombe Wanderers man who has been a force at center back for much of the current campaign, will partner Ballard at the center of defense.

In the 1-0 loss to Norwich, the Sunderland skipper emerged victorious in all but one of his duels and finished with a decent 89% passing accuracy when operating out of the back.

With Ballard at his side again, O’Nien should be able to hold Maresca’s team at bay and lead his team to their first victory since defeating Plymouth Argyle 3-1 in the middle of February.

Leo Hjelde’s 5LB
Leo Hjelde United Leeds Championship
Due to the injuries to Dennis Cirkin and Niall Huggins, Sunderland can now relax about their left-back selection, as January signing Leo Hjelde is healthy.

To further support his starting left-back status, Hjelde excelled in the 1-0 loss to the Canaries, winning all of his aerial duels as he asserted himself in the close game and picking up a crucial pass as he ventured forward at Carrow Road.

 

Dan Neil, 6 CDM
Neil Championship Black Cats; Suburbs; Mowbray Transfer; Gossip; Bellingham
Dan Neil would be a good fit to take up the holding midfield position after Dodds looks to change up the lineup for his team’s home match against Leicester tomorrow. The formation may then go back to 4-1-4-1.

Neil will try to put on a considerably more polished performance when the Foxes visit the Stadium of Light after a terrible performance against Swansea City at the Stadium of Light, where he attempted zero successful dribbles from the center of the park.

 

Callum Styles, 7 RM
Styles, Callum—Hungary
Due to his flexibility, Callum Styles should make his debut against Leicester, with Sunderland’s second January acquisition, former Leeds player Hjelde, getting the go-ahead to play again.

Styles will stick it out down the right-hand side in this possible starting lineup. He can play centrally and at full-back if needed, in addition to providing support down the flank.

The versatile Hungary international was effective in dribbling against Norwich, making 100% of his attempts. He was also helpful in tracking back, recording two clearances and a blocked shot during his productive 74 minutes in Norfolk.

 

Jobe Bellingham, 8 CM
bellingham premier league, tottenham hotspur, James Madison Jobe, and Madison
Jobe Bellingham, who started the match at Carrow Road as a striker, will feel much more comfortable playing in midfield against Leicester if the lineup is changed tomorrow night.

Playing up top, Bellingham was unable to manage a single effort on Angus Gunn’s goal in the last game. Now, Dodds is hoping that his young hotshot performs well in a more comfortable spot against the Foxes.

pierre-ekwah-sunderland-championship 9 CM – Pierre Ekwah

After performing well enough against Norwich to be included in Dodd’s starting eleven plans, Pierre Ekwah, a former West Ham United youth product, will continue to partner Bellingham in midfield against Leicester.

Ekwah only misplaced four of his 59 passes at Carrow Road, so let’s hope he remembers to bring his shooting boots while facing the Foxes. In his previous game, he fired three off-target attempts at Gunn’s goal.

10 LM – Mundle Romaine
Mundle-Sunderland-Romaine

Since joining Sunderland 14 in the January transfer window from Standard Liege, Romaine Mundle has showed glimpses of his talent. Dodds hopes the new Sunderland 14 can somehow close the gap left by Jack Clarke’s injury and unleash Leicester.

After challenging Gunn with two shots and winning five ground duels against David Wagner’s hosts in the last game, the former Tottenham Hotspur youth product will be looking to contribute significantly to his new employers’ much-needed victory tomorrow.

Nazariy Rusyn 11 ST Nazariy-Rusyn-Sunderland

After Dodds benched Nazariy Rusyn to make way for Luis Semedo to start the previous game against Leicester, Rusyn may find his way back into the Sunderland starting lineup.

In retrospect, Dodds made a bad choice in selecting Semedo, who only managed 12 touches in his miserable 66 minutes. As a result, Rusyn may have another chance to shine up top against Leicester.

Despite making just 19 Championship appearances and only scoring twice for the Black Cats, scoring a third goal against Leicester would undoubtedly be his most significant achievement to date during his brief tenure on Wearside.

Full expected lineup for Sunderland vs. Leicester City: GK: Patterson; LB – Hjelde; CDM – Neil, RM – Styles, CM – Bellingham, CM – Ekwah, LM – Mundle; RB – Hume; CB – Ballard, CB – O’Nien; ST – Rusyn

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