Sunderland (A) Match Preview
The Game
Sunderland v Argyle. Stadium of Light. Saturday, 10 February. 3pm. Sky Bet Championship.
The Opposition
Sunderland are eighth in the division, with 44 points from their 30 games, from 13 wins, five draws and 12 defeats. They began this calendar year with a 2-0 win against Preston North End, before losing 3-0 to local rivals Newcastle United in the Emirates FA Cup. Consecutive losses followed - 2-1 at Ipswich Town and 1-0 at home Hull City - before a 3-1 win against Stoke City at the Stadium of Light. Most recently, last Sunday, Sunderland drew 1-1 at Middlesbrough.
The Gaffer
Michael Beale was appointed as Sunderland manager on 18 December, 2023, just over two months after being sacked by Rangers. Beale's fledgling playing career ended before it had truly started, at 21, and he embarked on a coaching career.
He spent many years coaching in the academies of Chelsea and the Liverpool, before moving to Brazil to be assistant manager at São Paulo.
Beale returned to Liverpool, before joining Reds legend Steven Gerrard at Rangers as his assistant. Beale would later follow Gerrard to his new job at Aston Villa.
When the job as manager at Queens Park Rangers came up, Beale took his first step into being a number one, and impressed as the boss of the Hoops, taking them to the top of the Championship, before getting the opportunity to head back to Ibrox to take the top job at Rangers.
The Squad
Left-sided defender Leo Hjelde signed for Sunderland during the recent transfer window. Formerly of Celtic, 20-year-old Hjelde has played 10 times for Norway Under-21s, but he was born in Nottingham. Hjelde's father, Jan Olav, played more than 200 games for Nottingham Forest.
Leo was at Leeds United, for whom he never truly broke into the first team, having a loan spell at Rotherham United last season, and now signing for Sunderland.
Sunderland also brought in Romaine Mundle during the window. Formerly of Tottenham Hotspur, Mundle has been at Standard Liege in Belgium, the winger is yet to feature for Sunderland, but was an unused substitute in their last game.
For Sunderland fans, it was probably more important than anything that Jack Clarke remained a Black Cat during the window. Clarke is Sunderland's leading goalscorer with 13 goals from 32 games in all competitions this season. As a teenager, Clarke moved for big money to Tottenham Hotspur, from Leeds United, but did not break into the team at Spurs. A series of loan moves followed, including one to Sunderland in 2022, which led to his permanent move that summer.
Earlier This Season
The sides met in November, at Home Park, with Argyle taking the lead through Morgan Whittaker's sweet strike from outside the area. Finn Azaz made it 2-0 before the half-time whistle blew, and the result remained that way.
A Strip for the Trip
Argyle will be wearing their green home kit for this game.
Tickets
Tickets for the game are no longer being sold from the Home Park Ticket Office.
Tickets are still on sale via Sunderland, and via this link.
There are no tickets for collections - all tickets are in digital or print-at-home form. Please ensure you have what you need if attending the game.
Argyle TV
Argyle TV’s pre-match show, with Alex Wood and Ian Stonebridge, will begin at 2pm, and is available to watch for free on YouTube. Commentary will be provided from the Stadium of Light by Nathan Albon and Lee Makel. International supporters can buy a match pass to watch the game, here.
