One Sunderland star that has hardly spent any time in the side could be handed his first start vs Stoke CIty.
The Black Cats are gearing up for action as they look to get back to winning ways against an out-of-form Stoke City side.
Sunderland’s managerless opposition parted ways with former boss Narcis Pelach just days prior to the clash, and they will have former defender Ryan Shawcross at the helm.
Whilst Regis Le Bris’ side will undoubtedly fancy themselves ahead of the game, especially with Stoke’s recent form of not managing to notch a single win in their last nine outings, the Black Cats will have to face the action without several key players.
Left-wingers Romaine Mundle and Tommy Watson are set to continue their spell on the sidelines, and as a result, there could be a surprise inclusion into the side, who Le Bris could start for the first time this season.
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Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris could look to start Ian Poveda vs Stoke City
Sunderland signed Ian Poveda following his departure from Leeds United, where Le Bris’ side were able to fend off interest from fellow Championship side Sheffield Wednesday.
Unfortunately, Poveda is yet to have his opportunity to shine on Wearside, having notched just 44 minutes of action so far, with that ultimately coming down to his more-than-colour injury record.
Now that the Colombian international has finally returned from injury, Sunderland boss Le Bris could very well see the Stoke City encounter as the perfect opportunity to hand Poveda some necessary game time, especially with the current injury woes of Mundle and Watson.
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Eliezer Mayenda squandered chance could impact Regis Le Bris team selection
The main reason for a potential Poveda pick would certainly come down to the lack of depth on the left flank, however, it could also come down to the recent form of the current holder of the position.
Eliezer Mayenda, although he deserves credit for playing somewhat out of position at just the age of 19, squandered a huge opportunity against Blackburn Rovers to seal all three points after being unable to beat shot-stopper Ainsley Pears in a one-on-one situation.
Ultimately, it is clear that Mayenda has quality, but we aren’t likely to see the very best of him when he is shoehorned onto the left flank, somewhere that he is not quite as natural compared to leading the line.
Poveda notching game time against Stoke City could help show Le Bris that he does have an extra quality option at left-wing, and Mayenda could be more useful to play interchangeably with Wilson Isidor at striker, someone who also hasn’t been in top form recently.