Sunderland host Plymouth Argyle today in what promises to be a fascinating Championship clash.
Sunderland are fresh from drawing 1-1 against their North East rivals Middlesbrough while Plymouth are unbeaten in their last four Championship matches.
However, Michael Beale’s side have the edge ahead in this fixture, as the visitors to the Stadium of Light have won just one of their last 15 matches on their travels while their last five defeats have come against sides in the top seven.
From those statistics alone, it’s a fantastic opportunity for the Black Cats to use their raucous home crowd to earn an all-important three points, which could send them back into the playoffs depending on other results.
Beale has a whole host of changes that he could make to the side that drew at the Riverside, potentially handing Romaine Mundle his Sunderland debut, although Callum Styles is still recovering from appendix surgery.
Jobe Bellingham is also someone who could hugely benefit from a rest, with Patrick Roberts coming into the side, but the most important decision he could make is replacing Mason Burstow with Nazariy Rusyn.
Nazariy Rusyn should replace Mason Burstow in Sunderland’s starting XI
After scoring a stunning late equaliser off the bench to earn his side a precious point against Middlesbrough, it seems obvious to suggest Rusyn’s inclusion, however, his all-round game warrants a starting berth.
In the games he’s played, he’s shown that he’s a better option to lead the line than Burstow and the statistics back up that claim.
Rusyn has a better goal conversion than the 20-year-old (15%/10%), takes more shots per game (0.9/0.7) and has recorded a higher xG (1.71/1.33), via Sofascore.
Aside from bettering Burstow across multiple attacking metrics, the “excellent” forward – as lauded by ex-Sunderland man Danny Collins – possesses the attributes that prove he should start against Plymouth.
Not only is he more clinical when the opportunities arrive, but he’s also a willing runner in behind and makes dangerous runs for his teammates to find.
Unfortunately, the service into Sunderland’s strikers this term hasn’t been the best standard, although the 25-year-old proved that he can score half chances, as he did against Boro.
Rusyn is beginning to build more confidence in red and white which implies he’s becoming comfortable with his surroundings and that has been reflected by his performances on the pitch.
It therefore seems like a no-brainer for Beale to place him in the starting XI against Plymouth today.