The Black Cats are heading into the match on the back of a 1-1 draw away to Rotherham United on Friday night, while the visitors suffered a narrow defeat to Sheffield Wednesday last time out.
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Sunderland will be looking to possibly move back to the EFL Championship playoff spots when they play host to Preston North End at Stadium of Light on New Year’s Day. The hosts are currently occupying seventh spot in the English second tier standings, having collected 37 points from 25 games, just two adrift of the top six, while the Lilywhites are sitting at the 11th position, with 35 points to their name. The Black Cats are heading into the match on the back of a 1-1 draw away to Rotherham United on Friday night, while the visitors suffered a narrow defeat to Sheffield Wednesday last time out.
⏭️ Next up: Sunderland (A)
🎟️ Tickets can be bought from https://t.co/OKRB2Ilr3b until 1pm today, while sales in person and over the phone will continue until 2pm.
After this point, tickets can be purchased online from the Sunderland site. 👇#pnefc
— Preston North End FC (@pnefc) December 30, 2023
Sunderland went down 3-0 against Coventry City in their first fixture under new boss Michael Beale on December 23. However, the Black Cats responded with a narrow 1-0 success over Hull City on Boxing Day thanks to Jack Clarke’s lone goal eight minutes from time at MKM Stadium. Three days later, Beale’s men came from behind to earn a point against Rotherham at New York Stadium, once again through Clarke’s equaliser 17 minutes from time. While there will be disappointment in only earning a share of the spoils at the bottom-placed team in the division, Beale will be pleased with his side’s returns of four points from a possible six. Meanwhile, this is a side that has lost five of their 12 home fixtures this season, a record that must improve if they are to remain in the hunt for a playoff spot.
Preston, on the other hand, secured an impressive 2-1 victory over fourth-placed Leeds United on Boxing Day thanks to goals from Alan Browne and Liam Millar either side of Pascal Struijk’s 83rd-minute equaliser. But the Lilywhites failed to build on that success losing out to relegation battlers Sheffield Wednesday on Friday night courtesy of Marvin Johnson’s lone goal in the first-half. Ryan Lowe’s side have now lost six of their last ten outings in the second tier, yet a victory on Monday will help the Black Cats over take their upcoming opponents.
Sunderland probable starting lineup: Patterson, Seelt, O’Nien, Ballard, Hume, Ekwah, Neil, Ba, Bellingham, Clarke, Burstow
Preston North End probable starting lineup: Woodman, Potts, Whatmough, Lindsay, Hughes, Browne, Whiteman, McCann, Holmes, Evans, Millar
Sunderland
| Opponents | Score |
| Rotherham | 1-1 (D) |
| Hull | 0-1 (W) |
| Coventry | 0-3 (L) |
| Bristol City | 1-0 (L) |
| Leeds | 1-0 (W) |
Preston North End
| Opponents | Score |
| Sheffield Wednesday | 0-1 (L) |
| Leeds | 2-1 (W) |
| Swansea | 2-1 (L) |
| Watford | 1-5 (L) |
| Huddersfield | 1-3 (W) |
| Last 5 match-results | Score |
| Preston beat Sunderland | 2-1 |
| Sunderland beat Preston | 0-3 |
| Sunderland draw Preston | 0-0 |
| Preston beat Sunderland | 0-2 |
| Preston draw Sunderland | 2-2 |
The EFL Championship fixture between Sunderland and Preston will take place at Stadium of Light on Monday at 6:00 pm IST.
| Sunderland vs Preston | Key Details |
| Date | January 1 |
| Venue | Stadium of Light |
| Kickoff time in UK | 12:30 pm |
| Kickoff time in India | 6:00 pm |
Football fans in UK can catch the live action via TalkSport Radio UK, Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Football, Sky Ultra HD and Sky Go Extra.
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