Match Preview: Sunderland

By Aston
November 20 2004

Ipswich Town have the opportunity to go top of the football league tomorrow if Wigan and Reading both fail to win today.

Ipswich Town have the opportunity to go top of the football league tomorrow if Wigan and Reading both fail to win today.

Town go into tomorrows game on the back of a 11 game unbeaten run while Sunderland have the best defensive record at home in the league and have only lost one in the past 8 games.

Town manager Joe Royle has a massive doubt over midfielder Tommy Miller who has an elbow injury, Royle has added youngster Darryl Knights to squad should Miller not make it Town look set to play 4-3-3 with Dean Bowditch, Darren Bent and Shefki Kuqi starting up front with Pablo Couñago and Knights on the bench, Shane Supple will also be on the bench in place of Lewis Price who has joined Cambridge on loan.

Joe Royle believes that Sunderland will try and play football tomorrow saying: “Mick (McCarthy) has done a very good job there. Like all the clubs that have been relegated recently, there has been a financial fall-out and, while Mick has one or two players still from that time, they have had to shed a lot of players too and they are still up there.

“They will be up there at the end of the season. They were unlucky not to make it last season.

“They finished third and then to lose the way they did, to a goal that should not have been allowed, in the play-off semi-finals was very hard on them."

“We lost a tight game there last year and they are on a good run themselves.

“Apart from the game against Millwall, where the word 'mugged' comes to mind, they are doing very well.

“Mick was an uncompromising centre-half but his sides get the ball down and play football, which suits us.

“I'm always wary of old players coming back to haunt you, so we will be wary of Marcus Stewart, and Julio Arca is a very good player for them.”

Sunderland have had a couple of late injury boosts; George McCartney, Stephen Wright, Mark Lynch all overcoming injuries but are unlikely to play.

Sunderland boss Mick McCarthy ahead of the game has said: “Both sides are capable of scoring goals, and in Dean Bowditch and Darren Bent, they have two young very exciting strikers, as is Ian Westlake on the left.

“In Shefki Kuqi, they have a seriously underrated player. He reminds me of (Kevin) Kyle: he works a shift; puts his head in; throws himself at things and gets his fair share of goals. I think he got 15 or 18 goals last season and he gets good support from his full backs and Jim Magilton.

“Magilton has been a terrific pro all through his career, and he's been brilliant for them since he moved there about five years ago.

“Every time we have played against them he has been a real influence on the game. He does not have the pace that he once had but he sees a pass and can influence a game with his ability on the ball from free-kicks and corners.

“Tommy Miller might be missing tomorrow and whether that influences the shape of the team or the way they play only time will tell. They have been having good results; have good footballers and are playing with confidence.

“I think like us last week at Leicester, they ground a result out against Leeds, which is the sign of a good side with a tough mentality and a team who will be there at the very end.”

Sources: EADT and thisisthenortheast

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