Sunderland have enjoyed an improved run of form over the festive period and will look to make it five games unbeaten when Lincoln visit on Saturday, a team they lost to in the return fixture earlier this season.
That game proved to be Jack Ross’ penultimate game in charge as defeat cost him his job, and the Black Cats have continued to struggle ever since, with just three wins in 16 games since Phil Parkinson arrived.
However, Lincoln haven’t been the same since the Cowley brothers departed and lie 16th in the table, but having won four of their last six matches they should be confident and with 13-goal Tyler Walker up-front they always possess an attacking threat.
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Parkinson should be confident in his back-five, though, as they have conceded just four goals in the last five games, with Fleetwood only scoring against them last time out due to a fortuitous penalty decision.
Alim Ozturk has shown a big improvement recently and he could prove key in stopping Walker and keeping a clean sheet, while Parkinson should also consider recalling Conor McLaughlin to the side to bolster the defence.
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With that in mind, here is how they should line-up at the Stadium of Light with one change expected.
McLaughlin’s place in the side doesn’t mean that Luke O’Nien has to miss out, however, as he could benefit the team by operating in centre-midfield.
He hasn’t often played there this term but when he has there has been greater energy and intensity to Sunderland’s play, with the 25-year-old even grabbing two goals from midfield when he played there against MK Dons and Southend.
The Black Cats are in need of a midfielder with attacking purpose, as although George Dobson does a good defensive job with 2.1 tackles per game, Max Power doesn’t provide enough.
An average of 0.6 key passes per game underlines his lack of creativity while a WhoScored rating of 6.7 against Fleetwood indicates that he didn’t convince. Therefore, a change is needed to get Sunderland scoring more.
Meanwhile, Sunderland are reportedly looking to enhance their attacking options through the loan signing of Hakeeb Adelakun.
