Sunderland v Middlesbrough Preview

Aitor Karanka is ready for his first derby match in English football but doesn’t believe his side are the favourites ahead of tomorrow’s clash with Sunderland.

The Black Cats have a long injury list going into the game at the Stadium of Light, however Karanka is still expecting a difficult game against Boro’s North East neighbours.

“[Sunderland] have more experience than us,” said Karanka in his pre-match press conference. “They were in the Premier League last season, and we were in the Championship. They have an amazing manager in David Moyes, and are playing at home.

“We will try to win the game but I cannot say that we are favourites,” he added.

This will be the first time that Karanka has faced Sunderland in his three-year spell at Boro , however he is under no illusions about how much the game means to the fans.

“I have heard how big this game is for everybody but for us it’s all about three important points.”

Karanka was also complementary about Boro’s opening day draw at home to Stoke, expressing that some players showed him that they were better than he thought.

“I am really pleased as it was the best example to show that we were ready for the first game [of the season].”

Team News

Sunderland have a number of injuries ahead of their first home game of the season.

Defensive midfielders Lee Cattermole and Jan Kirchhoff both missed last weekend’s opener away at Manchester City while centre back Lamine Kone has since been ruled out with a back injury.

Kone partnered Younes Kaboul in the heart of defence at the Etihad, however the latter has since moved to Premier League rivals Watford.

That means that captain John O’Shea will probably have to slot back into one of the centre back positions, after playing in a holding midfield last weekend.

New arrival Papy Djilobodji, who signed from Chelsea, could also make his debut at the back while Fabio Borini is a doubt for game with an ankle issue.

Boro are likely to stick with the same eleven which started against Stoke, with the exception of Marten De Roon who limped off during that game with a hamstring injury.

Adam Forshaw will more than likely take the Dutchman’s spot, after replacing him from the bench last time out.

Defenders Daniel Ayala and Bernardo Espinosa both featured for Boro’s under 23’s team last week. However, both have only just returned to full fitness so they may not be risked.

In their absence Antonio Barragan played admirably in the vacant centre back position and he will be expected to keep his place.

The Opposition

As they often do, Sunderland produced an incredible run at the back end of last season to ensure that they remained in the Premier League.

There will have been concerns, however, when it was announced that manager Sam Allardyce would leave the club to take the England job, just as it appeared that the Black Cats were finally finding some consistency.

Thankfully for Sunderland, the club acted quickly to appoint an established top flight manager in David Moyes. However, the 53-year-old only arrived half way through pre-season and hasn’t had as much time to work with his players.

Sunderland were unfortunate not to take a point away at Manchester City last weekend after they were undone by a late Paddy McNair own goal.

Even so the current injury situation will be a cause for concern ahead of tomorrow’s game.

One To Watch

Jermaine Defoe

Even at 33, Defoe is still one of the most prolific strikers around. He netted 15 league goals last campaign and has already opened his scoring account this season after a goal at Manchester City on the opening day.

Last Time Out

Sunderland 0 Middlesbrough 1 - 30/10/2012

Boro were victorious the last time that they visited the Stadium of Light after Scot McDonald’s first half goal decided a League Cup tie back in 2013.

The Australian international converted Ishmael Miller’s low cross five minutes before the break, as Tony Mowbray’s side progressed to the quarter-finals.

Team I Would Play

  

(Picture from Gazette Boro)

Boro didn't look out of place in the Premier League when they played Stoke last weekend so I can't see Karanka making too many changes.

Marten De Roon will miss the game through injury so Adam Forshaw should get his chance in the centre of midfield. That will probably be the only change from the side which started last weekend.

Daniel Ayala and Bernardo Espinosa are close to full fitness but probably won't be risked while Antonio Barragan can cover for them.