Sunderland AFC Vs Tottenham Hotspur: Official Sunderland Not606 Match Thread

Sunderland AFC Vs Tottenham Hotspur
Official Sunderland Not606 Match Thread

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Sunderland will be looking to overturn a poor recent record against Tottenham Hotspur when Mauricio Pochettino’s side visit the Stadium of Light on Saturday.

Spurs have won the last four meetings between the two clubs, and are unbeaten in the last eight, but both teams head into this game on the back of a defeat before the international break.

Pochettino, who took charge at White Hart Lane in the summer, started his tenure with a four-game winning streak following Premier League victories over West Ham United and Queens Park Rangers, and a Europa League double over AEL Limassol.

However, Spurs were stopped in their tracks at the end of last month as Liverpool enjoyed a 3-0 success at White Hart Lane, so Pochettino will be looking for a response in the north east.

Sunderland, meanwhile, lost 1-0 at QPR after starting the season with draws against West Bromwich Albion and Manchester United.

Gus Poyet, who made almost 100 appearances for Spurs during a three-year stint at the club, saw his Sunderland team take the lead in both meetings last season, only to end up on the losing side.

Both teams were active during the closing stages of the transfer window, although Poyet has suggested he was not completely happy with his club’s summer business.

Stadium Of Light

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Match Apointments
Referee:Craig Pawson
Assistants:D Cann & A Holmes
Fourth Official: A Marriner

Sunderland Team News
Summer signings Sebastian Coates and Ricky Alvarez will hope for Sunderland debuts in the clash with Tottenham.

Liverpool defender Coates and Inter Milan midfielder Alvarez both joined the club on season-long loan deals on deadline day and are both included in the squad for the first time this weekend.

Head coach Poyet has no injury problems as he goes in search of a first league win of the campaign.

Tottenham Team News
Tottenham new boys Federico Fazio and Benjamin Stambouli could be in line to play some part on Wearside.

Both could make their debuts at the Stadium of Light after head coach Pochettino confirmed he expects them to travel following their arrivals towards the end of the transfer window.

Roberto Soldado (neck) and Kyle Walker (hip) will definitely miss out and, while no Spurs players came back injured from international duty, Nabil Bentaleb is unlikely to feature having only returned to London late on Thursday.

Possible Lineups

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Key Men

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Sunderland: Jack Rodwell

Many people thought it was a risk for Sunderland to buy Jack Rodwell as he has not been consistently fit for a number of seasons now, which included a two year injury ridden spell at Man City. However, he looks to have put the injuries behind him since joining Sunderland, starting all three Premier League games so far and looks set to start in the game against Tottenham. Not only has he been starting in Sunderland games, but he has also had quite an impact in the games he has featured in so far, grabbing the equaliser in the game against Manchester United, which finished 1-1. He generally likes to dictate play in the middle, similar to when he was at Everton and a good passing accuracy rate goes a long way with 84% of his 70 passes being accurate so far. As well as this he has also been successful with 44% of his tackles so far this term which is important for him as he looks to dispossess and break up opposition attacks. As he missed out of an England call-up this time he will look to try to impress and secure his name for the next England squad.

Tottenham: Emmanuel Adebayor

It was no real secret that Tottenham were on the hunt for a striker during the transfer window, but as they did not find the right man it is most likely that Emanuel Adebayor will continue to lead the attack for Tottenham. As he now knows that his first team place was in jeopardy and could easily be again by the next transfer window, he needs to play well enough to convince Pochettino that they do not need another striker. So far this season Adebayor has scored just the one goal, which came in the 4-0 win against QPR, so Sunderland fans won’t be too worried about that stat but they may be worried about the fact that he scored twice against them in a 5-1 victory for Tottenham last time the two teams met. His goal scoring record since he started playing regular football for Tottenham around winter time last season has been very impressive, averaging just over a goal every two games with 11 goals in 21 appearances last season. Not only has his goal scoring record been impressive but creatively he has been good as he has already created 5 chances this season with one assist, coupled with 34 chances and 4 assists last season.

Posters Prediction

Today I'd like to welcome our very own Blunham Mackem and from the Tottenham board a very warm welcome to PleaseNotPoll who bring us their views on the weekends game. Thanks guys!

Blunham Mackem: 2-1

PleaseNotPoll: 1-2

Stats & Facts

• Tottenham’s last four league away wins against Sunderland have all ended 2-1.
• Will Buckley has made more dribbles than any other Sunderland player this term (16) despite only playing 117 of a possible 270 minutes.
• Etienne Capoue has completed a league-high 267 passes so far this season.

Head to Head

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Last Corresponding Fixture

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Form

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Betting
http://www.oddschecker.com/football/english/premier-league/sunderland-v-tottenham/winner

Links
http://www.safc.com/fans/visiting-fans

Streaming
http://www.wiziwig.tv/broadcast.php?matchid=274005&part=sports
​

 

Great stuff once again marra..

 

Giac and Alvarez to start please !

 

I'm going 1-0 jozy, scoring from the bench

 

Thanks to Funk for inviting Spurs fans over, and to the OP for an interesting match thread.

The big question for us is how we react to a really bad loss last time out. It's Pochettino's first loss with Spurs, a big train wreck after we'd built up a good head of steam. The real trick is that our second and some third choices are all very comparable to our first string, so Pochettino is sure to be criticized for either overreacting or not rewarding good performances by possible subs against Limassol. Kane, Paulinho, Dembele and Chiriches all played well enough to deserve a start. Also, Bentaleb only got back yesterday, and Ade had an exhausting trip, making it more likely one or both may sit, though I think they were comparatively decent against Liverpool. Finally, Lamela subbed for Messi and did what Messi couldn't do, which is score against Germany. Is he due a big game, or will he continue his run of impressive, though goalless performances this year? It's the first crisis for Pochettino, and it will be interesting to see how he and the team handle it.

Good luck after Saturday.

 

Haaaaaaaaaawaaaaaaaaaay!!

 

Just leaving for the drive up ....... have a great time today whether you're going or not.

3-1 to Sunderland, it breaks my heart to say it but I think they'll score

 

Looking forward to the match. Time to run Stokoe's toe as every game I went to last season they lost.......I'm also taking my son who has never seen them win.
Can someone have a word with the pope and ask him to have a word with the big man.
I will be disappointed if Fletcher starts but I have a feeling he will. So he had better score.

 

SUNDERLAND are ready unleash Ricky Alvarez on the Premier League today with manager Gustavo Poyet believing everything is in place for his fellow South American to be a success story on Wearside.

Alvarez arrived on a season-long loan from Inter Milan on deadline day and he is in line to make his debut against Tottenham at the Stadium of Light this afternoon.

Uruguayan Poyet is eager to see the 26-year-old showcase his talent on the flanks for Sunderland, having first been aware of him in his youth days playing for Boca Juniors and Velez Sarsfield.

SUNDERLAND are ready unleash Ricky Alvarez on the Premier League today with manager Gustavo Poyet believing everything is in place for his fellow South American to be a success story on Wearside.

Alvarez arrived on a season-long loan from Inter Milan on deadline day and he is in line to make his debut against Tottenham at the Stadium of Light this afternoon.

Uruguayan Poyet is eager to see the 26-year-old showcase his talent on the flanks for Sunderland, having first been aware of him in his youth days playing for Boca Juniors and Velez Sarsfield.


“On Saturday, it is down to Ricky, not me, not anyone else, but Ricky on the pitch,” said Poyet. “He will have the ball and he can do his bit. I am really excited to see him play because I saw him when he first started in Argentina and he was so good to watch.

“Even when he first started he was 6ft 2in, skinny but very skilful on the ball. He was great to watch. Now he has to do it on the pitch for me at Sunderland.”

After the club was forced to take a financial hit on January buy Ignacio Scocco this summer - when he was allowed to return home to play for Newells Old Boys - Poyet could have been forgiven for having reservations about targeting another Argentine forward.

He said: “Two things are important when South Americans try to settle here. One, I think the English adapt better to the players coming from South America than they did before. In the beginning it was all new to the English. There were only two or three (South Americans) before, so it was harder.

“Now that the Premier league has become so international, there are so many foreign players, South American players around, so every single club is doing the right things to make sure they adapt quickly. That’s in life, but playing football is every weekend, so players can be different out there too.

“People like Carlos Tevez adapted in five minutes and other players like Nacho Scocco maybe needed a year. He didn’t want to wait a year. He is not here now.

“The situation here is easier for somebody like Ricky, for example, because of us. We can explain things to him every day, what we mean, and the reasons behind we do things. He can get it right, not with a translator, he can get it.”

Fitting in his new signings and getting Sunderland to tick is what has been on Poyet’s mind during the international break. Alvarez is pushing for a starting spot on the left, where striker Connor Wickham has been tried following Fabio Borini’s exit in May.

Ideally the Sunderland boss, looking for a first Premier League win, will name a team with two strikers, although he does not think he is at that stage just yet.

He said: “It depends on the next couple of games. The team plays comfortable playing this way at the moment because they know their roles.

“Every player has a role and they know it. When you change the system in football, it can hugely affect a game. I’m not happy with Connor playing wide, even if he is. I need him in the middle. Playing two strikers is an option, even if it is not for me right now.

“We are more dangerous when we play with two strikers. It depends on whether the midfielders get in the box; it is the players who make the system at the end of the day. I love 4-4-2.

“Why would we change the system when we knew what we were going to get with players like Fabio Borini or Marcos Alonso last season? We didn’t get those players back, so why would we not think about changing it now. I’m not a magician; I just have to find out what is our best system. Sometimes you need to change, depending on personnel.”

One player Poyet does think can have a real impact in a Sunderland shirt this season is Emanuele Giaccherini. The 29-year-old played every minute of Italy’s last two internationals against Holland and Norway and it has not come as a surprise to his club boss.

Giaccherini was an expensive £8.7m buy from Juventus 13 months ago but he was unable to hit the heights expected of a Serie A title winner in his first season on Wearside. This time around could be different, according to Poyet.

He said: “Giacch was one of the players who suffered the most from the previous manager. It was difficult for him, coming to a new country, things not going very well. He was one of the biggest signings, expected a lot of him, then the new manager came in and didn’t play him. It was a very difficult season for him.

“I think that most would give up and go home, but he is not that character. He took missing out on the World Cup in an incredible way. I would not have done. He came back to us incredible.

“From the first day in pre-season you could tell he was like the first day that he arrived last summer, with all of that adrenaline, you want to show who you are. The whole pre-season we have talked about Giaccherini. I promise you, the whole of it.

“I have changed my mind completely and he has made me happy. Sometimes we ask some things of players and it’s unfair but we have to do it. If you are good enough to play in Italy, you should be good enough to play here. It’s as simple as that. I think he is going to be great. I see him as a new player, a totally new player.”

SUNDERLAND

Mannone

Vergini Brown O’Shea Van Aanholt

Cattermole

Johnson Rodwell Giaccherini Larsson

Wickham

Adebayor

Chadli Lamela Eriksen

Capoue Bentaleb

Rose Vertonghen Kaboul Dier

Lloris

TOTTENHAM

 

Sebastian Coates and fellow South American Alvarez could both make their Black Cats bows, with defender Federico Fazio in line to make his debut for Pochettino’s side.

 

Mannone, Vergini, van Aanholt, Brown, O'Shea (c), Cattermole, Larsson, Rodwell, Johnson, Alvarez, Wickham

Gerrin

 

Sunderland XI: Mannone, Vergini, van Aanholt, Brown, O'Shea (c), Cattermole, Larsson, Rodwell, Johnson, Alvarez, Wickham

Subs: Pantilimon, Jones, Bridcutt, Gomez, Giaccherini, Buckley, Altidore

Spurs XI: Lloris, Dier, Kaboul, Chiriches, Rose; Dembele, Capoue; Lamela, Eriksen, Chadli; Adebayor

 

I'm disappointed there is not a place for Giacherinni but that's still a nice attacking looking team.

Have I missed something about Fletcher this week? Is he injured again?

 

Surprisingly, only one change for Spurs, and that caused by Bentaleb's late return. I like the no changes, on balance, I think. The whole team was bad against Liverpool, so appointing scapegoats for the bench is unfair. On the other hand, while I think Dembele deserves a game, I'd rather have him come in for Capoue. We need to get the ball forward quickly, Bentaleb has been the player who has been key in doing that fairly well. Dembele is an excellent player but unfortunately does not get the ball forward quickly.

 

Just been **** mate

 

Just been **** mate

 

Well i got one of two wishes.

Wickham through the middle is great news, Disapointed gaic doesnt start over Alverez, thought ht deserved it and him and connor have a great understanding.

Ha'way the lads

 

My mistake: Chiriches in for Vertonghen in addition to Dembele in for Bentaleb. There are various possible reasons for that, incuding Chiriches' good play, but I don't actually know the cause. Well, I like Chiriches and don't like Vertonghen, so it's fine by me.

 

Looks good, but like a few others, a little disappointed not to Giacc. Especially so after Gus's comments earlier.

Still, hope he makes an impact WHEN he does come on.