Sunderland take on Preston North End on Wednesday night and manager Regis Le Bris has confirmed that a “strong” player will start the game at Deepdale.
Sunderland prepare for Preston clash
The Black Cats dropped rare points in the Championship last weekend, only managing a 0-0 draw away to Queens Park Rangers, missing the injured Chris Rigg in the process and struggling to hit the heights they have so far this season.
It was still no disaster, however, and by the end of the weekend, Sunderland were still three points clear at the top of the table, as Le Bris continues to enjoy a superb start to life as manager since arriving in the summer.
Next up for the Black Cats is a trip to Preston in the league on Wednesday evening, as they look to get back to winning ways against their 20th-place opponents. They will be favourites to prevail and three points will allay any fears that their form could be on the slide.
Sunderland will have to make do without Jobe Bellingham for the game, however, with the young midfielder suspended after his red card away to QPR, but Le Bris has been boosted by having Rigg and Dan Ballard as part of his squad for the midweek action.
“Unbelievable” Sunderland ace will start vs Preston
Speaking ahead of the game, Le Bris confirmed that Alan Browne will start for Sunderland against former club Preston on Wednesday, praising his player in the process.
“He will play, and he deserves to play obviously, because he’s a great professional with good experience, good leadership – quiet leadership, but strong leadership.
“Obviously our midfielders played very well since the beginning of the season and for Browney, he needed to wait. But, he knows that that league is so long, that he was sure he’ll have opportunities to play. It’s now and he did well, so I’m confident for him.”
Browne has been such an astute signing for Sunderland since arriving on a free transfer from Preston during the summer transfer window, bringing experience to the midfielder, in a squad littered with young players. The 29-year-old may have only started four Championship matches this season, but he has appeared 10 times in the competition in total, scoring once and completing 82.5% of his passes.
Sunderland midfielder Dan Neil has hailed Browne since he became his teammate, lauding his qualities and making it clear he was always a strong opponent when the Black Cats faced Preston.
“Alan’s got an unbelievable engine, unbelievable legs. We knew that from when we played Preston previously. Every time we’ve come up against him, we’ve talked about the unbelievable engine he has. He’s a bit more of an experienced head in there as well, which helps us because me and Jobe are still young.”
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With Bellingham out, the £15,000-a-week Browne’s influence is going to be vital on Wednesday, and if he plays a big role in a Sunderland win, he could retain his place at home to Coventry City on Saturday.
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