Sunderland, who currently sit one point ahead of Liverpool in the Premier League table, will look to maintain their high-flying momentum when they visit Anfield on Wednesday, with the focus on whether manager Arne Slot restores Mohamed Salah to the starting lineup.
At the start of the season, few would have imagined Sunderland would be ahead of Liverpool when the two teams met in early December, but the Black Cats are one point clear of the champions ahead of their clash at the Anfield, according to a report from FotMob.
Sunderland is enjoying their return to the Premier League, with manager Régis Le Bris guiding the side to six wins and four draws across their opening 13 matches.
They sit sixth in the English top-flight, just three points behind second-placed Manchester City. The Black Cats recently ended a three-game winless streak by coming from 2-0 down to defeat Bournemouth at the Stadium of Light.
Liverpool, meanwhile, started the season with five wins on the bounce but have won just two of the last eight and found themselves in eighth position at the start of this midweek round of games.
They desperately need a win against Sunderland to build on their encouraging 2-0 victory over West Ham United on Sunday.
The focus for the hosts is on Mohamed Salah. The four-time Golden Boot winner was left on the bench against West Ham, but the report suggests he will return to the starting XI with a point to prove.
For the visitors, the main man is Granit Xhaka. The 33-year-old is the top-rated Sunderland player based on average FotMob ratings, with a score of 7.54. He has tallied four assists this term as well as a goal.
Sunderland is missing Leo Hjelde and Habib Diarra, while Liverpool is without both senior right-backs, Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong. Giovanni Leoni is set to miss the entire season.
FotMob predicts a 2-2 draw, citing that “Anfield doesn’t quite have the fear factor these days.”