After being given the nod by Phil Parkinson to fill the Jon McLaughlin-sized hole in Sunderland’s goal, Lee Burge will not have planned on giving away a penalty just two minutes into the opening game of the League One season.
Of course Burge will start again on Saturday, but he’ll be looking to make up for his mistake last Saturday with a clean sheet today.
Although Sunderland did concede last weekend, with the goal coming from the penalty spot, Phil Parkinson’s side remain yet to concede from open play this season.
This, coupled with Parkinson’s status as an inverse of the tinkerman Claudio Ranieri, makes it likely that he will stick with the back five that has been his preferred choice since February. Arby Xhemajli will have to wait to make his debut, and with a lack of depth beyond the Kosovan it is difficult to see this back five changing much through the season.
One position in which Sunderland will not be the same as last weekend is the middle of the park, where George Dobson’s stoppage time dismissal means he’s suspended for the trip to an Oxfordshire retail park.
While most Sunderland fans will be calling for Josh Scowen to come into the side, Parkinson mentioned in midweek that he sees Scowen as competition with Maguire for one of the attacking midfield roles, meaning Leadbitter is the prime candidate to make his first league appearance since the middle of last season.
One player who is certain to start is last week’s goalscorer Chris Maguire. Sunderland’s talisman was pretty poor last weekend, as were most of Sunderland’s forwards, but he came up with the goods when it mattered once again, and he’s sure to be fired up for a game against one of his former clubs.
Up front, Phil Parkinson has a number of different options should he wish to change his front pairing. Danny Graham and Charlie Wyke both came off the bench last Saturday, as did Lynden Gooch who could get a start if Sunderland revert to the 3-4-2-1 formation they used last season. However, as I have already mentioned, Parkinson is a loyal manager, and I suspect Will Grigg and Aiden O’Brien will be given a second chance to prove that they can combine upfront to give Sunderland the goals needed to win promotion.