Sunderland are back in action again this weekend after steadying the ship prior to the international break.
Following a run of three defeats on the bounce, Sunderland turned things around as they picked up seven points from the following trio of matches.
The 3-1 win over Birmingham City has taken them back up into the Championship play-off spots, while the Black Cats will be eager to overtake Preston with another win this weekend.
Plymouth Argyle currently sit 19th in the league table and have only won one game since September, though they have endured a particularly hard run against the likes of Ipswich, Middlesbrough and Leeds United.
Sunderland have lost only one of their last seven meetings with The Pilgrims and will be confident of another victory on home turf, as they look to kick off an extremely busy winter period with a bang.
Ahead of the Stadium of Light clash, here is our predicted Sunderland XI…
Sunderland predicted XI vs Plymouth
As usual, Anthony Patterson remains in the team as he continues his irreplaceable spot in between the sticks.
The goalkeeper has started every league game for Sunderland this season, with Nathan Bishop far from the quality needed to challenge him anytime soon.
Trai Hume keeps his spot in the backline after another solid performance against Birmingham City, while Niall Huggins starts on the left after Dennis Cirkin picked up another hamstring injury.
Jenson Seelt and Nectarios Triantis both started against the Blues in the absence of Dan Ballard and Luke O’Nien, however the latter two are expected to slot back into the defence.
Ballard suffered an injury scare whilst on international duty and missed out on Northern Ireland’s win over Denmark, however Tony Mowbray has since confirmed that he is back in training and will hopefully past a late fitness test to return to the side.
Pierre Ekwah and Dan Neil continue their partnership in midfield, while I expect Jobe Bellingham to keep his spot just ahead of them.
The teenager was in dire need of a rest before the international break, but his withdrawal from the England U19 squad means he should be ready to go again against Plymouth.
Patrick Roberts will start on the right in his first game since signing a new contract with Sunderland, with Jack Clarke looking to bring his goal tally up to double digits on the left.
Nazariy Rusyn is yet to get off the mark for the Black Cats, but hit the post against Birmingham and has definitely looked the most promising out of the three strikers that have started this season.