Sunderland head to Birmingham City in the Championship this weekend, to face former boss Tony Mowbray.
Little over two months since Sunderland sacked Mowbray, the pair are reuniting; but at St Andrew’s where Mowbray is now the manager.
He replaced Wayne Rooney last month and has since steered Blues to six points above the drop zone, picking up an important 1-0 win against Blackburn Rovers last time out.
Michael Beale meanwhile saw his side lose 1-0 at relegation-threatened Huddersfield Town in midweek.
The Black Cats now sit in 10th place of the table but still just one point outside the top six; though another defeat here could really pile that early pressure onto Beale after a poor performance in midweek.
Patrick Roberts blow is perfect time for Romaine Mundle to start
Beale has revealed ahead of tomorrow’s game that Patrick Roberts has suffered yet another hamstring injury and faces a month on the sidelines.
He’s only just returned to the side after a spell on the sidelines, but as one door closes, another opens for January signing Romaine Mundle who’s made substitute appearances in the last two games.
The January signing from Standard Liege has shown a few glimpses in his early Sunderland outings; he’s obviously a player with great feet and technical skills, which could make him the ideal replacement for Roberts over the next month.
And with a poor performance from Abdoullah Ba in midweek, Beale could well be considering handing Mundle his full Sunderland debut away at Birmingham City tomorrow.
Mundle pace could make for eye-catching battle on wing
Birmingham City have shipped in 47 goals already this season. But they’re steadily shoring up under Mowbray, and they have two very pacy full-backs in Lee Buchanan and Ethan Laird.
Expect Jack Clarke on the left tomorrow, going up against Laird, and perhaps Mundle on the right going up against Buchanan.
So with so much pace on the flanks tomorrow, this is where the game could be won or lost. And with Sunderland looking to get back in the top six and Blues looking to pull away from danger, it could be a game where a new hero is born on either side.
Mundle certainly has the potential to be that hero, and Beale will try and bleed him into the XI before next season so that he can hopefully step up when Clarke inevitably leaves.
A win tomorrow would keep that pressure from re-mounting on Beale and if Mundle starts, and impresses, it could give Sunderland a new attacking outlet going into the business end of the season.