Three things Sunderland and Regis Le Bris need to get right in order to beat Leeds United in Championship crunch match

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Every football fan with a passing interest in the Championship will be glued to the screen as Leeds United host Sunderland on Monday night, with vital points in the promotion race on the line.

Sunderland may be seven points behind Leeds United in the Championship table as things stand, but with 14 games to go, that could all change very quickly

A great way to gain ground on the teams above them, of course, is to beat them, and Regis Le Bris’ side have a fantastic opportunity to force their way into the title conversation once more this week.

But, as we prepare to watch Leeds United vs Sunderland, there are surely certain things that Le Bris has to consider in order to give his team the best chance of a crucial victory that would change the whole complexion of the promotion battle.

Here, we take a look at three key factors that will make or break the Black Cats’ chances on the night.

• READ MORE: Michael Graham claims Sunderland have achieved ‘huge success’ already this season regardless of promotion race

Sunderland will have to be at their best defensively

Believe it or not, Leeds United are a very, very good attacking team – who would have thought it? The Whites have scored 66 goals already this season, almost 20 more than Sunderland’s tally of 49, and 15 more than the next top-scoring team, Norwich City (on 51 goals).

This month alone, Leeds have won games 4-0 and 7-0. They’re in relentless, ruthless form right now, so first and foremost, Le Bris will need to get his team setup correctly at the back.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	Sheff UtdSheffield Utd	33	22	6	5	47	23	24	70
2	LeedsLeeds	32	20	9	3	66	19	47	69
3	BurnleyBurnley	33	17	14	2	39	9	30	65
4	SunderlandSunderland	32	17	11	4	49	28	21	62
5	BlackburnBlackburn	33	15	6	12	39	31	8	51
6	West BromWest Brom	33	11	15	7	42	31	11	48

If Leeds get through the Sunderland defence early on, the game could very quickly get away from the Black Cats and end in disaster.

Le Bris just needs to decide what combination to use in central defence, with Chris Mepham, Dan Ballard, and Luke O’Nien all vying for a starting spot in the Sunderland XI for the Leeds game.

Winning the battle in midfield will be key for Sunderland

Stifling Leeds United doesn’t just begin at the back, though. Sunderland will have to make the most of their own quality in the middle of the park and try to dominate possession if they can. The only problem is, Leeds United are literally the best team at keeping possession in the whole league.

However, with the likes of Dan Neil, Jobe Bellingham, and Chris Rigg, plus the ‘really talented’ Enzo Le Fee looking like one of the best players to ever grace the Championship right now, Sunderland will fear no one when it comes to winning the midfield battle.

Allowing Leeds to play their way will only invite pressure and, inevitably, goals. But, if Sunderland can build up play in their own favour, we know how devastating they can be. Plus, there’s no harm to frustrating Leeds and making their players work for the ball; tired legs could well be the deciding factor for either team on Monday night.

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Sunderland have to take attacking approach against Leeds United

We’ve talked enough about how strong Leeds are, but it’s time to recognise just how brilliant Sunderland are, too. And, if Alex Neil’s opinion on Leeds is anything to go by, playing with attacking intent and asking questions of Daniel Farke’s side is the only way to get anything out of the game.

Neil masterminded a 2-0 win for his Millwall side against Leeds earlier this month in the FA Cup. On that victory, he said: “We carried a real threat throughout the game. I thought we kept the ball well in spells, which we needed to because you can’t just defend the whole match.”

So, while Sunderland will obviously be mindful of keeping things tight at the back, Le Bris will surely know that attack is the best form of defence, and try to pen Leeds into their own half as much as possible.

With Wilson Isidor in electric form right now, Sunderland are more than equipped to cause Leeds problems. It will be very interesting to see if Le Bris partners Isidor with Eliezer Mayenda, or leaves the Frenchman ‘alone’ in attack instead.