Leeds United will bring the might to Sunderland on Monday night. For Regis Le Bris, it’ll be his toughest test in charge of the Black Cats so far.
Leeds United are the ones to beat right now. The Whites are unbeaten in their last 14 Championship games, haven’t conceded in six, and are putting four past the likes of Watford who Sunderland struggled to draw against only recently.
But the Black Cats only sit seven points and two places behind Leeds United in the Championship table right now, meaning a win for the Black Cats opens the promotion picture right up.
| 1 | Sheffield Utd | 33 | 22 | 6 | 5 | 47 | 23 | 24 | 70 |
| 2 | Leeds | 32 | 20 | 9 | 3 | 66 | 19 | 47 | 69 |
| 3 | Burnley | 33 | 17 | 14 | 2 | 39 | 9 | 30 | 65 |
| 4 | Sunderland | 32 | 17 | 11 | 4 | 49 | 28 | 21 | 62 |
But dealing with Leeds’ numerous attacking threats will be difficult. Daniel Farke’s side have pace and attacking quality across the pitch, especially down either flank with their wingers and full-backs capable of causing teams issues.
In particular, wingers Dan James and Manor Solomon are in fine form right now. And it’s on these flanks where the game could be won or lost for either side on Monday night.
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Dennis Cirkin facing Dan James test on Monday night
Of all of Leeds’ in form players right now, James is perhaps the one to watch out for. The former Manchester United man now has 10 goals and six assists in the Championship this season, with almost every team he’s come up against having had a hard time dealing with his electric pace.
The right-sided player goes up against a somewhat out of form Sunderland man in Dennis Cirkin on Monday. Sunderland fans have been critical of Cirkin of late with the former Spurs man having not looked the same since suffering a broken wrist earlier in the season.
Fans have described the 22-year-old as a bit of a liability at left-back, and in a Sunderland XI that is very strong on the whole, there’s an argument that Cirkin is the one weak link in the side right now. Against a rampant James, Cirkin could certainly struggle.
Marco Gabbiadini’s Dennis Cirkin theory at Sunderland
Cirkin was arguably Sunderland’s best player at the start of the season. But right now he’s struggling to get back to those levels.
Maroc Gabbiadini though thinks he might know why. Giving his verdict on Cirkin’s poor Sunderland form, Gabbiadini explained earlier in the year: “Cirkin’s also still recovering from a spell out of the team, isn’t he. I know he’s played consecutive games but is he at peak fitness yet?
“Where he would’ve been if he hadn’t have had at that injury to his wrist. Probably not.”
But that was at the start of January. Cirkin’s wrist surgery was in November and he’s started each of the last six league games for the Black Cats, yet his form doesn’t seem to be improving.
A good performance against James on Monday night could give him the confidence to get back to his best. Likewise, a poor performance could really dent his confidence.