Sunderland

Image source, Rex Features

Sunderland midfielder Luke O'Nien says he will learn from his mistake which led to Chris Mepham being sent off in the Black Cats' 1-0 defeat by Sheffield United.

A loose pass from O'Nien inside his own half was seized on by Blades striker Tyrese Campbell and he was brought down just outside the box by Wales defender Mepham, who was given a straight red card for denying a goalscoring opportunity.

"Listen, I put my hands up for Mephs getting sent off," O'Nien told BBC Radio Newcastle.

"I just got caught in the middle there and, like all mistakes I've made throughout my career, I will watch it back, learn from it and get better.

"We'll do that collectively and individually and that's why, as a team, we've moved forward over the last four years."

The Black Cats had started the match much the better of the two sides and although Blades defender Harry Souttar also received his marching orders just before half-time, Mepham's dismissal signalled a change in momentum.

Defeat extended Sunderland's winless run to six games, a sequence that has seen them slip from the top of the Championship table to fourth.

"The image of them celebrating will stay in the back of our minds," O'Nien added.

"Days like this will be our motivation for what will be a successful season for us."

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It is one of the most eagerly anticipated dates in the football calendar as Premier League and Championship clubs join the FA Cup action from round three.

The draw will take place on Monday, 2 December from 19:00 GMT and can be watched live on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.

Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris has said he will not rush full-back Dennis Cirkin back to first-team action ahead of their match with Sheffield United on Friday.

The Frenchman confirmed the 22-year-old had returned to training after undergoing wrist surgery but did not confirm whether he would feature at Bramall Lane.

"He is OK now and ready to train but because he missed two weeks and we have other solutions in the squad right now, we don’t have to rush the process," Le Bris told BBC Radio Newcastle.

"I trust Dennis, he is very important to us but at the minute we shouldn’t be too risky to use him tomorrow.

Trai Hume returned to the side in Tuesday's 0-0 draw at home to West Bromwich Albion at left-back with Luke O'Nien filling in at right-back and Le Bris is currently comfortable with the options he has to hand.

"It is a good problem for me because if we have more depth in the squad, with different styles of play, we can manage different solutions," he added.

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Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris believes that the 'exciting' challenge of facing Sheffield United can push his team to their limit.

The Black Cats have slipped back to fourth in the Championship after five successive draws.

But victory at Bramall Lane on Friday (20:00 GMT) would see them leapfrog their opponents, Burnley and Leeds United and go back to the top, at least ahead of Saturday's fixtures.

"It's a new scenario with new elements to master and a different style of team," he told BBC Radio Newcastle. "We need strong opponents to grow up, and to find our limits, to push and to recognise that we are doing well."

Despite their five draws, Sunderland are unbeaten in 10 league games now and continue to overachieve.

Now they face a Sheffield United side who have won their last seven matches at home, all without conceding a goal.

"We have a strong team, we can manage different scenarios and we are really excited by this new challenge and ready to go," added Le Bris.

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Sunderland welcome back Jobe Bellingham, Trai Hume and Patrick Roberts for Tuesday's fixture at home to West Bromwich Albion.

Midfielder Bellingham is available for selection after serving a three-match suspension following his red card in the 0-0 draw at QPR earlier this month.

Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris now has to decide whether to continue playing Aaron Connelly following his goal in the 1-1 draw at Millwall on Saturday or consider bringing Roberts back into his forward line following suspension.

Bellingham, Chris Mepham and Chris Rigg add a further dilemma for the Frenchman as the trio all have four yellow cards to their name and a booking on Tuesday means they will be ruled out of Friday's top-of-the-table clash at Sheffield United.

Tuesday's match comes too quickly for left-back Dennis Cirkin, however, who is recovering from wrist surgery.

Meanwhile, Norwegian defender Leo Hjelde and Ukrainian forward Nazariy Rusyn are back to full fitness while Niall Huggins and Dutchman Jenson Seelt remain long-term absentees.

A fourth successive league draw for Sunderland at the weekend saw them replaced by Leeds United at the top of the Championship table but they will be looking to reclaim the lead as they host sixth-placed West Bromwich Albion on Tuesday.

The Black Cats, level on points with Leeds but in second on goal difference, will also be mindful of Sheffield United - also on 32 points - and Burnley - two points further back - who are both also eyeing top spot going into their games against Oxford United and Coventry City respectively.

To get themselves back top, Sunderland need to beat a Baggies team who are on an eight-game unbeaten streak and, with the majority of those ending in draws (W1 D7), the West Midlands outfit will be eager to come away victorious.

• Sunderland have won their last three league games against West Brom, having won just one of their previous 16 games against the Baggies (D5 L10).

• West Bromwich Albion have won one of their last six league visits to Sunderland (D3 L2), winning 2-1 in December 2022.

• Sunderland are unbeaten in each of their first seven home league games of the season (W5 D2), their longest such run in the top two tiers since 2010-11 in the Premier League (first 9).

• No side have drawn more away Championship games in 2024 than West Brom (8), including three of their last four such games (W1).

• West Brom have failed to score in each of their last three league games in midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday), drawing each of the last two (L1); though they have kept a clean sheet in 10 of their 12 previous such games.

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Sunderland's 1-1 draw at Millwall means they have now recorded their best start to a league season in the second tier since 1998.

Despite conceding to Femi Azeez's equaliser deep into stoppage time on Saturday, Regis Le Bris' side remain top of the Championship table on goal difference.

The last time the Black Cats started so strongly in the second tier they ended up winning the league with 105 points - 18 clear of second-placed Bradford City.

Back then, Sunderland were managed by Peter Reid and able to rely on a formidable strike partnership of Niall Quinn and Kevin Phillips, who in total provided 41 goals together in the league that season.

During 1998-99, Sunderland recorded 31 league wins in total and lost only three times.

The following season saw them finish seventh in their first season back in the top flight with Phillips scoring 30 league goals, earning him the European Golden Boot.

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Millwall are looking to continue their impressive run of form when they welcome Championship leaders Sunderland to The Den on Saturday.

The Lions are unbeaten in their last seven games (W4 D3), while the Black Cats are undefeated in eight (W4 D4) but have drawn three on the bounce.

• Millwall have lost just one of their last seven league games against Sunderland (W2 D4) despite both scoring and conceding eight goals during that run.

• Sunderland have won just one of their last 12 away league games against Millwall (D5 L6). Each of the last three such matches between the pair at the Den have finished 1-1.

• Millwall have won their last three home league games, winning all three 1-0. They last won four in a row at The Den in October 2022, while they last did so with a clean sheet each time in March 2010 in League One.

• Sunderland have picked up 31 points in 15 Championship games this season (W9 D4 L2), their best start to a season at this level since 1998-99 (also 31 points) when they eventually won the league.

• Millwall's Casper De Norre is the only Championship player this season to make both 30+ tackles (31) and 30+ interceptions (30).

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Former Sunderland head coach Michael Beale has joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq as Steven Gerrard’s assistant manager.

The 44-year-old worked under Gerrard at Rangers between 2018 and 2021 and was part of the coaching team that guided them to the Scottish Premiership title in the 2020-21 season.

Beale followed Gerrard to Aston Villa in November 2021 before becoming QPR head coach at the start of the 2022-23 campaign.

With QPR seventh in the Championship at the end of November 2022, Beale then left to return to Rangers as manager.

He was sacked in October 2023 after failing to win a trophy and suffering three defeats in the first seven matches of the 2023-24 season.

Beale was appointed by Sunderland in December 2023 but only had a brief stint in charge and was sacked after just 12 games in February having won four, drawn two and lost six.

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The three Sunderland players who were called up for senior international duty have all enjoyed a very successful week.

Trai Hume and Dan Ballard were at the heart of the Northern Ireland defence for their 2-0 win at home to Belarus and the 2-2 draw in Luxembourg.

Ballard was also on the scoresheet against Belarus as the Black Cats duo helped their country win promotion to League B of the Nations League after winning Group C3.

Chris Mepham didn't play any minutes but was part of the Wales squad that pulled off a remarkable return to the Nations League's top tier following a 0-0 draw in Turkey and 4-1 win against Iceland in Cardiff.

League leaders Sunderland return to Championship action when they visit in-form Millwall on Saturday afternoon.

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There are three Sunderland players who have been called up for senior international duty this week:

• Trai Hume and Dan Ballard for Northern Ireland

• Chris Mepham for Wales

Jobe Bellingham has been called-up by England Under-21s for the games against Spain and the Netherlands while Leo Hjelde, Milan Aleksic and Ben Metcalf have been chosen for Finland, Serbia and Northern Ireland under-21 duty respectively.

You can keep up to date with how they are getting on using our scores and fixtures list as well as following Wales and Northern Ireland's matches live on the BBC Sport website and Radio 5 Live.

Sunderland flew into a 2-0 lead against Coventry City on Saturday but ultimately had to settle for a point - their third Championship draw on the spin.

So, where did it wrong for the league leaders?

Speaking to BBC Radio Newcastle, former Black Cats defender Gary Bennett said: "The first 45 minutes, Sunderland were very, very good.

"They went into half-time 2-0 up, could have been three or four. Dominated the game, managed the game, controlled it.

"Came out the second half - well they didn't come out.

"Once Coventry got that goal to make it 2-1, it seemed as though we just lost our way. Picking up a couple of injuries didn't help, a couple of yellow cards didn't help.

"We were looking for a character, leadership. I just thought we lost our direction.

"Were we too comfortable? Did we start getting a little bit sloppy? I think we did."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds.