Sunderland vs Bolton Wanderers - Match Preview

Sunderland manager Martin O'Neill will be hoping to deliver something a little more exciting for the fans after two 0-0 successive draws in the league when they welcome Bolton Wanderers to the Stadium of Light. Kick-off time this afternoon is 3pm and the match will not be screened live anywhere in the UK. Black Cats midfielder Craig Gardner is suspended after being sent-off at Aston Villa last week. He will have to sit out along with Kieran Richardson and Sebastian Larsson who are both injured. Captain Lee Cattermole has been struggling with fitness as he attempts to overcome his chronic knee problem. He is in contention but will need to be assessed before kick-off. Bolton manager Owen Coyle is bemoaning the fitness of several players as he fights for his club's survival. No less than six players picked up a knock in the midweek victory at Villa, including midfielders Ryo Miyaichi, Mark Davies and Chris Eagles, none of whom trained on Thursday. Darren Pratley is missing with an illness. Bolton are also incredibly still awaiting the FIFA clearance that would allow winger Gregg Wylde to play.

Line-ups from;

Sunderland (from): Mignolet, Gordon, Bardsley, Bridge, Turner, O'Shea, Kilgallon, Kyrgiakos, Lynch, Cattermole, McClean, Vaughan, Meyler, Colback, Sessegnon, Bendtner, Ji, Campbell. Bolton (from): Bogdan, Jaaskelainen, Alonso, Steinsson, Wheater, Boyata, Knight, Ream, Ricketts, Reo-Coker, M Davies, K Davies, Klasnic, Miyaichi, Ngog, Petrov, Eagles, Tuncay, Sordell, Vela, Pratley.