Regis Le Bris could put an end to an unwanted 17-year record when his Sunderland side play Derby County on Tuesday night.
Sunderland welcome Derby County to the Stadium of Light on Tuesday night, with both sides looking to bounce back from weekend defeats.
Regis Le Bris watched as his side fell to a 2-1 defeat against Watford, with the Black Cats having lost their last two away fixtures in the Championship.
Paul Warne’s Derby County meanwhile lost their first home game of the season over the weekend, being beaten by Norwich City.
The Rams earned promotion from League One last season and have made a surprisingly steady start to life back in the second tier, as Sunderland did during the 2022/23 season.
Though both teams have different hopes and ambitions this season with Sunderland sitting in 2nd place of the Championship table and looking like promotion contenders, compared to the Rams in 13th.
When was the last time Sunderland beat Derby County
Sunderland against Derby County isn’t a fixture we’ve seen too much of in recent years.
Both clubs have spent time in the Premier League and both have gone all the way down to League One as well, with Sunderland spending four years in the third tier and Derby two.
Last time these two teams met was in the 2017/18 Championship season with Sunderland winning 4-1 at Pride Park, thanks to goals from George Honeyman, Ashley Fletcher, Aiden McGeady, and John O’Shea.
The last time they played at the Stadium of Light was a 1-1 draw in 2017. But the last time Sunderland beat Derby County at home was way back in December 2007.
Roy Keane was the manager at the time, with Anthony Stokes scoring the only goal in a 1-0 Black Cats win in the Premier League; Keane was linked with the Sunderland job earlier this year.
Regis Le Bris can end poor Sunderland record vs Derby County on Tuesday night
The 2007/08 season under Keane was a long, long time ago, and Sunderland may be widely tipped to end that 17-year run without a home win against the Rams on Tuesday night.
But Derby County will certainly be stubborn, and heading to the Stadium of Light as underdogs could easily play into their hands against a Sunderland side who are starting to show some cracks.
Le Bris has the advantage in terms of quality and personnel. And the home crowd is always a huge booster for Sunderland.
A win here would put the wind back in Sunderland sails head of another really difficult home game vs Leeds United on Friday.