Championship experts warn Sunderland about ‘very impressive’ Swansea, but Le Bris could exploit one ‘serious’ problem

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Sunderland travel to South Wales to face Swansea City this weekend, and while they’ll need to be wary of their upcoming opponents, there is one weakness they can take advantage of.

It has been an odd few weeks for Sunderland, with the Black Cats going on a run of six games without a win, before registering an impressive victory over Stoke City last weekend.

Then, on Tuesday night, it was down to Patrick Roberts to step up and rescue a point for Regis Le Bris’ side against Bristol City with an injury time goal.

Next up is Swansea City, who have quietly been climbing the table, and Le Bris will need to get his Sunderland lineup absolutely spot on for this difficult fixture.

• READ MORE: Regis Le Bris has now delivered on key promise he made on first day as Sunderland boss

Swansea are dark horses, but Sunderland can take advantage one weakness

We know Sunderland will have plenty to worry about when they play Swansea on Saturday afternoon, but the guys on the Second Tier podcast have delved deeper into the challenge the Welsh outfit present.

Ryan Dilks said: “Up to ninth now, and I’ve been very impressed with Swansea recently. We’ve marked them down as midtable, and that’s probably still likely.

“But say it quietly, they could be a dark horse this season… They’re a very good side and what I’ve seen recently, there’s potential for more. They could sneak into the play-offs, I wouldn’t rule it out.”

Co-host Justin Peach wasn’t so convinced, though, and suggested Sunderland might find one area they can exploit against Swansea.

“I think results and performances are promising, but in-game management by Luke Williams has been a serious concern,” Peach said. “They’ve had a number of games where we’ve seen a significant drop-off, where they’re in a good position and start to ramp up pressure and then fall off.”

“That has to be eradicated,” he added. “Luckily for Swansea, both Plymouth and Derby didn’t have the quality to punish them. Other teams will.”

• READ MORE: Sunderland are unbeaten at home all season but the Stadium of Light record is way more impressive than it sounds

Squad depth can win the day for Sunderland

Swansea will fancy their chances against this inconsistent Sunderland team, especially on home turf, but the Black Cats can certainly make the most of any opportunity they have during the game.

With Swansea not having the deepest squad, fatigue and momentum in-game could once again present a major issue for Luke Williams, and Le Bris will have to lean on his fairly strong Sunderland squad and the likes of Aaron Connolly, Adil Aouchiche, and perhaps even a surprise or two from the bench.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	Sheff UtdSheffield Utd	20	13	5	2	28	11	17	42
2	LeedsLeeds	20	12	5	3	36	14	22	41
3	BurnleyBurnley	20	10	8	2	24	7	17	38
4	SunderlandSunderland	20	10	7	3	29	15	14	37
5	BlackburnBlackburn	19	10	4	5	23	17	6	34
6	West BromWest Brom	20	7	11	2	23	14	9	32

Meanwhile, the combination of Patrick Roberts and Eliezer Mayenda on the wings will be the main source of creativity and danger for Sunderland, and if they can be half as lively as they were against Bristol City, we should see a Black Cats win.

It’s getting really tight around the top spots in the Championship now, and Sunderland need to be getting wins under their belt if they are to remain in this promotion fight. A victory over Swansea on Saturday would certainly give them real momentum going into the festive period.