Fan Preview: Sunderland vs Portsmouth

Sunderland go into the game on the back of defeats at Wigan and Fulham and once again rely on picking up points at the Stadium of Light to progress up the Premier League table, where they currently sit in mid-table.

However Bruce has a few problems on the injury front with Anton Ferdinand ruled out for at least a month due to an ankle injury sustained in the defeat at Craven Cottage last week.

The back-line doesn’t get much better with George McCartney battling a hamstring injury to be fit and John Mensah still sidelined with a calf problem, whilst Phil Bardsley serves a one-match suspension along with the full-back cover of Kieran Richardson.

Lee Cattermole still remains the long-term absentee (knee) along with Craig Gordon (arm) but on a positive note Kenwyne Jones looks set to start his home game since being sent off against West Ham on Halloween.

Reports this week have suggested Portsmouth are on the verge of administration, a claim strongly denied by the club. However Avram Grant will be more concerned about maintaining the same starting eleven that beat Burnley last week, as he looks to pull the club clear of the relegation zones.

Sunderland squad:

Fulop, Carson, McCartney, Turner, Nosworthy, Malbranque, Campbell, Bent, Murphy, Henderson, Da Silva, Healy, Reid, Zenden, Cana.

Portsmouth squad:

Begovic, Hreidarsson, Finnan, Ben-Haim, O’Hara, Brown, Boateng, Yebda, Wilson, Smith, Dindane, Belhadji, Vanden Borre, Mullins, Hughes, Piquionne, Kanu

Paddy Power: Sunderland to win 3-0 – 13/1

By James Henderson