Pritchard dropped, 4-2-3-1: The predicted Sunderland XI to face Ipswich Town on Saturday

We looked at how Sunderland could line up against Ipswich Town on Saturday.

Sunderland take on Ipswich Town in the Championship at Portman Road on Saturday.

The Black Cats will be hoping to bounce back after losing their FA Cup third-round match against local rivals Newcastle United 3-0 at the Stadium of Light on Saturday. Head coach Michael Beale’s hopes of winning over fans who weren’t impressed by his hiring were dashed by the setback.

 

But after four league games, Beale has racked up seven points, and his team is

now sitting sixth in the standings, one point ahead of Hull City in seventh.

Championship Table (As it stands January 8th)
	Team	P	GD	Pts
1	Leicester City	26	36	65
2	Ipswich Town	26	15	55
3	Southampton	26	15	52
4	Leeds United	26	20	48
5	West Brom	26	12	42
6	Sunderland	26	8	40
7	Hull City	26	4	39
8	Coventry City	26	10	37

It will be a tough test for Sunderland against second-placed Ipswich, who have lost just once at home all season, but the Tractor Boys are without a win in their last five league games.

As the countdown to kick off continues, we looked at how the Black Cats could line up.

GK: Anthony Patterson

Academy graduate Patterson has remained Sunderland’s first choice goalkeeper this season, and the club received a huge boost in September when he put pen-to-paper on a new contract to keep him at the Stadium of Light until 2028.

Patterson has started every Championship game so far this campaign, and after keeping two clean sheets in his last four league appearances, he will be hoping for another shutout against Ipswich.

RB: Trai HumeRB:

Like Patterson, Hume has also started every league game this season, featuring at both right-back and left-back.

 

With Niall Huggins set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines, and Beale stating that summer signing Timothee Pembele needs time to build up his fitness, Hume is likely to line up on the right this weekend.

CB: Luke O’Nien

O’Nien has started all but one league game for Sunderland so far this season, and he has worn the captain’s armband in the continued absence of Corry Evans.

 

The 28-year-old took to social media this week to issue a heartfelt message after the defeat to Newcastle, sharing his pride at leading the team out on such a big occasion and revealing his desire to help the club back to the Premier League.

CB: Dan Ballard

It was a difficult afternoon for Ballard against Newcastle on Saturday as he scored an own goal and gave away a penalty.

However, it was an uncharacteristically poor performance from the Northern Ireland international, and he will be keen to bounce back against the Tractor Boys.

LB: Aji Alese

Sunderland have been dealt a huge blow with the news that Dennis Cirkin is set to be sidelined for three months after undergoing hamstring surgery.

With Huggins also currently unavailable, centre-back Alese has filled in on the left in recent weeks, and he is likely to continue in that role on Saturday.

CM: Pierre Ekwah

Ekwah has started all of Beale’s four league games in charge so far, and he should retain his place this weekend.

The 21-year-old has impressed this campaign, and with Crystal Palace said to have been weighing up a move ahead of the January transfer window, the Black Cats will be hoping to keep hold of him this month.

CM: Dan Neil

Academy graduate Neil has established himself in the first team in recent years, and he has impressed once again this season, scoring four goals and providing three assists in 27 appearances in all competitions.

Neil has started every league game this season when available, and he is one of the first names on the team sheet.

RW: Abdoullah Ba

With Patrick Roberts expected to be out until next month with a calf injury, Beale is facing a decision between Ba and Alex Pritchard on the right.

 

Pritchard has got the nod in the last two games, and he scored an excellent goal against Preston North End on New Year’s Day, but Ba’s pace could be useful against the Ipswich defence.

AM: Jobe Bellingham

Bellingham joined Sunderland from Birmingham City in June for a reported £1.5 million, and that fee looks to be something of a bargain.

 

The 18-year-old has starred for the Black Cats this season, scoring four goals and providing one assist in 27 appearances in all competitions, and his performances have not gone unnoticed, with Newcastle United, Chelsea and Real Madrid reportedly keeping tabs on him.

LW: Jack Clarke

Clarke has enjoyed an outstanding campaign so far this season, scoring 12 goals and registering two assists in 28 appearances.

 

Premier League sides Burnley, West Ham United, Crystal Palace, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Everton, Bournemouth and Brentford are said to be interested in Clarke, as well as Championship promotion hopefuls Leicester City and Southampton, but Beale will be desperate to retain his star man this month.

ST: Nazariy Rusyn

Rusyn came to Sunderland in the summer from the Ukrainian team Zorya

Luhansk, and on New Year’s Day, he scored the team’s first goal against Preston.

 

Although Beale acknowledged that the Black Cats are eager to sign a striker this month, Rusyn is probably going to start

once more given there aren’t any upcoming additions.