The games will come thick and fast for Sunderland in this second half of the season, but one fixture in particular is getting special treatment.
Sunderland are mounting a surprise title challenge in the Championship this season thanks to the impressive work of Regis Le Bris and his young squad.
With 20 games to go, Sunderland are on track for promotion, but they will need to scrape and fight for every point they can get.
While the Black Cats are formidable at home, an away tie with local rivals Middlesbrough is on the horizon that could be tricky, but there is one bit of good news regarding that game for Sunderland fans.
Sunderland and Middlesbrough game will be broadcast for free on ITV
As per information from the EFL, it has been confirmed that the fixture between Middlesbrough and Sunderland on February 3 will be broadcast for free on ITV.
It is part of a new agreement this season between the EFL and Sky Sports that aims to give fans access to free-to-air football, with two matches selected this season.
First up, the game between Leeds United and Sheffield Wednesday on January 19 will be broadcast on ITV1 and ITVX, then the North East Derby at the start of February. Both games look set to have a huge impact on the standings in the Championship table come the end of the campaign.
On the initiative, Trevor Birch, Chief Executive of the EFL, said: “The EFL is home to some of the most popular and exciting competitions in world football, and the competition for promotion places is already shaping up to be as competitive as ever across the three divisions as we head into the second half of the season.
“We are delighted that this agreement between the League, ITV and Sky Sports will open them up to an even wider audience, and would like to extend our thanks to both partners for making this possible.”
Win-win for Sunderland as Stadium of Light crowds unaffected by changes
Naturally, this is great for any Sunderland fans (and indeed football fans) who would not have been making the trip to the Riverside Stadium for the game. But, it can also be a big plus for Sunderland as a football club.
Not only will it get even more eyes on the Sunderland squad, but with this being an away game, it is not the Stadium of Light crowd that will be impacted by a potential shortfall in supporters at the ground.
Sunderland’s unbeaten home record this season is key to their success, and the club will want as many fans as possible at those home games for the rest of the season.
Thinking back to Niall Quinn’s condemnation of Sunderland fans for failing to turn up to games in the past, it’s probably a good job ITV didn’t nab a home game for their coverage.