Sunderland travel to Portsmouth in the Championship this weekend.
Sunderland fans will make the 12-and-a-half hour round trip to Portsmouth on Saturday.
And after a strong start to the season under new manager Regis Le Bris, expect the Black Cats faithful to travel in numbers to Fratton Park.
Sunderland have enjoyed a perfect start to the season having now won three out of three, without conceding a single goal.
Sunderland beat Burnley 1-0 in their last outing with fans impressed by Romaine Mundle.
The former Spurs man scored the only goal of the game, coming into the starting XI as Jack Clarke sealed a move to Ipswich Town.
Expect Mundle to keep his starting spot for the game at Portsmouth this weekend as Le Bris tries to develop the 21-year-old in wake of Clarke’s exit.
And the rest of the starting XI may pick itself following this pleasantly surprising strong start to the 2024/25 Championship season.
But Le Bris will be without captain Dan Neil for the trip to Portsmouth.
Dan Neil suspended for Portsmouth vs Sunderland
Neil picked up a red card late on in the game vs Burnley.
The midfielder, who was named team captain going into this season, will now serve a one-game suspension.
For Le Bris, there’s a number of options to replace Neil’s presence in the heart of midfield.
Alan Browne and Pierre Ekwah are the obvious choices.
But there’s also the likes of Nectarios Triantis who can operate in the middle of the park, along with Jobe Bellingham, Adil Aouchiche, or even Luke O’Nien.
- READ MORE: Sunderland dominated the Championship in one statistic during Gameweek Two, fans will love it
Who replaces Dan Neil for Portsmouth vs Sunderland is obvious
Le Bris has some good options in the middle of the pitch. But expect Browne to be the man to step in.
Browne boasts a lot of similar traits to Neil; they’re both good passers of the ball and can dictate the play well, and Browne offers a lot of Championship experience too.
Like Neil, Browne has played a lot of games in the Championship, racking up more than 400 appearances with Preston North End before his summer move to the Stadium of Light.
Browne’s experience was arguably why he was brought in as a free agent during the summer, and that’s what makes him the ideal candidate to replace Neil vs Portsmouth.
Pompey have made a strong start to life back in the Championship having taken three points from their opening three games, drawing all three.
It’ll be another tough task for Le Bris, maybe even his toughest yet, but the likely introduction of Browne will give Sunderland a steady head in midfield, and a worthy step-in for Neil too.