Remember when Stoke used to be all about second balls and positions of maximum opportunity? Well, not any more. The hosts have just constructed a lovely move involving Steven Ireland and Mame Biram Diouf that climaxed with Jon Walters lashing a shot into the midriff of Costel Pantilimon.

Stoke have scored in 11 of their last 12 games (it says here) and the odds on them doing so again this afternoon are small, you'd imagine. They've reacted well to conceding and have been camped in the Sunderland half...

Steve Bower
BBC Match of the Day commentator

Dick Advocaat has never been relegated as a manager...

That early goal has certainly roused Stoke. Charlie Adam responds almost immediately with a raking scud straight at Costel Pantilimon, then Marko Arnautovic leathers a free-kick into the Sunderland wall.

Having checked a few watches and clocks, we can revise the time of that Connor Wickham goal to 58 seconds. Prompt.

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How's that for a fast start? Asmir Begovic spills a Billy Jones' cross at his near post and Connor Wickham bundles the ball over the line at the second attempt.

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And we're under way, Stoke kicking off at the Britannia...

We're currently having a minute of silence to mark the 30th anniversary of the Bradford fire.

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What they would give for a season like Stoke's.

Their campaign might lack the raw emotion of a relegation battle or title fight but Mark Hughes side sit ninth and need just four more points to breach the half-century mark in the Premier League for the first time.

Furthermore, doing so might well secure successive top-half finishes in the top flight for the first time in 40 years.

Manager Dick Advocaat has been fidgeting with his abacus and come to the conclusion that Sunderland need at least six points from their final six games to preserve their Premier League status.

Given that this trip to the Potteries is followed by journeys to Everton, Arsenal and Chelsea and home meetings with Southampton and Leicester, even that looks a daunting task for a team who have scraped just nine points in this calendar year.

Still, things looked unremittingly bleak at this stage of last season, too, before Gus Poyet guided his side to four wins in their final five games to secure another top-flight season of angst and despair.

We'll delay judgement on whether getting your own live commentary today is a good thing, but what it does mean is that Stoke and Sunderland fans have a greater chance of being heard.

Any observations, opinions, abuse or even streams of consciousness are welcome, just tweet #BBCSTOSUN

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Stoke forward Peter Odemwingie, who has not played since suffering a knee injury last August, makes his return among the substitutes.

Image source, Getty Images

Dick Advocaat has opted not to involve winger Adam Johnson, who was charged on Thursday with three offences of sexual activity with a 15-year-old.

The 27-year-old has made three substitute appearances since the club suspension imposed following his arrest was lifted but, despite being available, he has not travelled to Stoke.

"I spoke with him yesterday and he did not train for three days so I thought it better to keep him at home," Advocaat said.

Stoke manager Mark Hughes makes just one change from the side that beat Southampton last time out, with Charlie Adam - who scored the winner after coming on a substitute - replacing Glenn Whelan.

Sunderland manager Dick Advocaat's most notable decision was to leave Adam Johnson out of his 18 after the winger was charged on Thursday with three offences of sexual activity with a 15-year-old.

The Dutch manager makes two alterations to the XI who started the 4-1 home defeat by Crystal Palace, with Sebastian Coates and Will Buckley replacing Santiago Vergini and the injured Steven Fletcher.

Stoke City XI: Begovic; Cameron, Shawcross, Wollscheid, Pieters; Adam, Ireland, Nzonzi; Arnautovic; Biram Diouf; Walters

Sunderland XI: Pantilimon; Jones, O'Shea, Coates, Van Aanholt; Cattermole, Rodwell, Gomez; Buckley, Defoe, Wickham

They have won just twice in their last 15 Premier League games, failed to score in 15 of their 32 league matches this term and mustered just 25 goals all season... welcome to the almost unrelenting misery of following Sunderland.

Just a point above the relegation zone and with one of their most prominent players this week being charged with three offences of sexual activity with a 15-year-old, the Black Cats do not have their troubles to seek.

So what better than a trip to face a Stoke City side emboldened by victory in their last outing?