Today's 12 o'clock kick-off features two clubs who are subsequently succeeding from the poor form and inconsistencies of other teams in the Premier League this term.
The grapevine tells that Toon striker Papiss Cisse is set to play after a week of relaxed training in aid of his recovery from a strained hamstring. He should hopefully be partnered with top scorer and international teammate Demba Ba in leading the striking line.
Three from last week's midfield bank of four should retain their spots in Cheik Tiote, Yohan Cabaye, Jonas Gutierrez with either Danny Guthrie, Gabriel Obertan or Hatem Ben Arfa replacing Ryan Taylor if he hasn't managed shake off his injury woes.
Alan Pardew's side was defensively poor last week but I expect the back line will remain the same and hopefully the Wolves match will prove to be nothing more than an anomaly.
Can we expect a repeat of this fixture from last season - a phenomenal 5-1 win?
I am not interested in head-to-head statistics dating back to 1992 nor am I intrigued by novelty facts because the 22 players on the SJP turf today will more than likely never have shared a pitch before with the exact same faces and even if that was the case, there are too many variables to be swayed.
A player's age, form, manager, tactics, atmosphere, personal life, physical condition and state of mind all affect the outcome of a game and make it impossible to expect a result one way or the other - a debate for another time.
However, the Black Cats are a rejuvenated outfit since the appearance of well respected Martin O'Neill. On his arrival the Irishman managed to steer the Mackems away from a miserable campaign in just a handful of games but their last four encounters breakdown as WLWL.
I for one will be hoping that the Toon Army can find a way to decrypt the emerging pattern above.
Great blog, keep up the insightful views!
ReplyDeleteWhat does everyone think of the result?
ReplyDeleteBefore the game, I wanted a win but will take a draw.
ReplyDelete