Sunderland take on Preston North End in the Championship on Wednesday, as the Black Cats look to go seven games unbeaten in the league.
Sunderland remain in 1st place of the Championship table despite a goalless draw against QPR last weekend.
Regis Le Bris’ side now have a one-point lead over Sheffield United in 2nd but have a game in hand after United won at Bristol City on Tuesday night.
Preston North End meanwhile sit in 21st. Paul Heckingbottom was linked with Sunderland in the summer but took charge of the Lilywhites in August, having won four of 14 games since.
Sunderland will boast the joint-best away record in the league if they avoid defeat at Preston on Wednesday night.
But for Le Bris, there’s a few team selection calls to make, with the main one being how does he replace Jobe Bellingham.
Paul Heckingbottom discusses Jobe Bellingham suspension for Sunderland
Bellingham is suspended for Sunderland‘s game against Preston after he was shown a straight red card against QPR last weekend.
Inevitably, many will back former Preston captain Alan Browne to come into the XI. But the shape of Le Bris’ midfield could now be forced into a change.
Giving his thoughts on the matter, Heckingbottom has predicted two holding midfielders in Browne and Dan Neil.
He said: “I would expect Browne to then go and play alongside Dan Neil. But they have got other players in that squad.
“So I wouldn’t be surprised again if there’s one or two in there – signings they’ve developed – who they are not afraid to throw in.
“The middle of the pitch always is (key), but you’ll never get anything as important as both boxes – as the weekend showed.”
Preston lost 3-1 at home to Bristol City in their last outing, having lost their last two in all competitions and having conceded three goals in both games.
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Alan Browne’s stats for Sunderland so far
Browne made a staggering 414 total appearances for Preston North End before leaving in the summer.
Since, he’s made 10 appearances for the Black Cats and has one goal to his name. Though he’s only started four times.
He’s often used as a rotation player or when someone else is unavailable; e.g. when Neil was suspended for a game earlier this season, and likely this weekend in place of Bellingham.
So far this season, Browne has averaged 12.8 accurate passes-per-game (11th in the side), 0.4 key passes-per-game (8th), 0.9 long balls-per-game (8th), and he also chips in defensively, ranking in the top eight for both interceptions-per-game and clearances-per-game (0.4 and 0.9 respectively).
Preston and Sunderland play at 8pm on Wednesday night and the game will be live on Sky Sports.