Preview & Prediction: Sunderland vs Tottenham

This fixture will be one of the tensest of the weekend with both teams suffering poor starts that have put pressure on their respective managers.

Tottenham will be the more confident of the two however, as the Black Cats have failed to beat Spurs in the last 10 attempts.

Dick Advocaat will have been working with his defence during the international break after seeing his side concede 13 goals in only five games.

Defender DeAndre Yedlin has been brought in on a season-long loan to address the problem, but the 22-year-old will be missing here as the match is against his parent club.

Yedlin wasn’t the only addition on the last day of the transfer window, with strikers Ola Toivonen and Fabio Borini putting pen to paper. They will compete to partner ex-Spurs striker Jermain Defoe, who already has five goals this season.

Ex-Spurs captain Younes Kaboul will come in if he can pass a fitness test after being sidelined with a knee injury, but Adam Johnson and Jordi Gomez are another week away from recovery, while Adam Matthews remains out for another month or so with a foot problem.

Meanwhile, Mauricio Pochettino will recall the fate of former Spurs boss Juande Ramos. The Spaniard was the last manager at White Hart Lane to oversee no wins after the first four matches and was subsequently sacked before the end of October. The Argentine manager will point out that he has been without the service of his most creative player in Christian Eriksen though.

The Dane should be back this weekend, while Andros Townsend is also available, but Mousa Dembele remains a doubt with an ankle injury.

Striker Harry Kane will hope his two goals for England during the international break will kick-start his season as he awaits his first Tottenham goal this campaign. He may well be supported by new £22 million signing, Son Heung-min, but Clinton N’Jie is still building his fitness.

League Position: Sunderland – 20th, 2pts; Tottenham – 17th, 3pts
Last Meeting: Tottenham 2-1 Sunderland, January 2015
Form: Sunderland – LLDD; Tottenham – LDDD
Key Men: Sunderland – Jermain Defoe; Tottenham – Christian Eriksen

Shoot Says: Sunderland 1-2 Tottenham