Sunderland host Middlesbrough in the Championship this weekend.
Sunderland are back at the Stadium of Light this weekend where they welcome north-east rivals Middlesbrough.
Last time out, the Black Cats lost 3-2 vs Plymouth Argyle in what was Regis Le Bris’ first league defeat as manager.
His side remain in 1st place of the Championship table despite the defeat, compared to Michel Carrick’s Middlesbrough who sit in 10th.
Boro have taken eight points from a possible 15 so far this season and boasted a good record against the Black Cats last season.
Middlesbrough beat Sunderland 4-0 on Wearside back in October last year, then drawing the game at the Riverside 1-1.
Speaking on The Roar ahead of this weekend, journalist Phil Smith didn’t predict any wholesale Sunderland changes despite defeat vs Plymouth.
Smith did however suggest one potential change that Le Bris might make; bringing in the vastly experienced Alan Browne for 17-year-old Chris Rigg.
Alan Browne suffers injury scare at Sunderland
However, during a Q&A between the club’s summer signings and fans on Tuesday night, Browne was pictured wearing a protective knee brace.
The scale of his potential injury is yet to be revealed though it’s largely thought that Browne is now a doubt for this weekend’s game.
So that might force Le Bris into starting Rigg for this weekend’s game, if he wasn’t going to already.
And it will surely be a huge test of Rigg’s mettle; he’s showcased his technical and physical attributes this season, but he’s yet to play in game with this kind of local intensity.
Middlesbrough test will show Sunderland boss what Chris Rigg is really made of
Real Madrid-linked Rigg has been very impressive this season, and what many find impressive about him is the fact that he’s never shy of getting stuck in.
He’s got obvious technical ability, but for a fairly small 17-year-old, Rigg certainly puts himself about in the middle of the pitch, and to good effect.
Coming up against Middlesbrough where tackles will surely by flying in, and with Sunderland coming off the back of a first loss of the season, the game would likely have been a good chance to swap Browne for Rigg.
Though Rigg, described as ‘unbelievable’ by journalist Michael Graham, now looks set to keep his starting spot.
It could be a game where we really see if Rigg can live up to the early hype this season, or it could be a game where we see that he needs a lot more time in the Championship.
Kick off is at 12:30pm on Saturday.