To the surprise of practically no one, Paolo Di Canio's reign at the Stadium of Light ended in tears after Sunderland's 3-0 defeat away at West Brom last weekend. They're rooted to the foot of the table on just one point, and are the only team in the division yet to win a match.
Sunderland vs. Liverpool: Preview and TV schedule
Sunderland play their first league match of the post-Di Canio era on Sunday, welcoming Liverpool to the Stadium of Light.
Chris Brunskill
More from our team blogs: Sunderland blog Roker Report Liverpool blog The Liverpool Offside
Worse could follow for the unlucky Black Cats, who host Liverpool on Sunday. Brendan Rodgers' team have been impressive so far this season, and welcome star striker Luis Suárez back this weekend after the expiry of his long suspension. However, they haven't won in their last couple of league games, offering a thin sliver of hope for Sunderland caretaker manager Kevin Ball.
He'll be unable to select defenders Phil Bardsley and Wes Brown through injury, while Andrea Dossena and Steven Fletcher are both in doubt. For Liverpool, Philippe Coutinho, Aly Cissokho, Sebastián Coates and Glen Johnson are all definitely out, though Daniel Agger and Joe Allen could return.
Sunderland injuries and suspensions
Out: Phil Bardsley (ankle), Wes Brown (knee). In doubt: Andrea Dossena (thigh), Steven Fletcher (shoulder).
Liverpool injuries and suspensions
Out: Philippe Coutinho (shoulder), Aly Cissokho (ankle), Sebastián Coates (knee), Glen Johnson (ankle). In doubt: Daniel Agger (ribs), Joe Allen (hamstring).
Projected lineups
Sunderland: Keiren Westwood; Jack Colback, John O'Shea, Modibo Diakité, Craig Gardner; Emanuele Giaccherini, Ki Sung-Yueng, Lee Cattermole, Sebastian Larsson, Adam Johnson; Jozy Altidore
Liverpool: Simon Mignolet; Mamadou Sakho, Martin Skrtel, Kolo Touré; José Enrique, Steven Gerrard, Lucas Leiva, Victor Moses, Jordan Henderson; Luis Suárez, Daniel Sturridge
Match Date/Time: Sunday, 4 p.m. local, 11 a.m. ET
Venue: Stadium of Light, Sunderland, England
TV: NBC Sports Network, DirecTV (U.S.), TSN2 (Canada), Sky Sports 1/HD (U.K.)
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