Alex Neil has made wholesale changes for Sunderland's final friendly, naming a completely different XI to the one that started the weekend defeat at Accrington Stanley. Rather than use the game as a dress rehearsal for Sunday's Championship opener, the Black Cats boss opted to use the game at Hartlepool as an opportunity to give more squad members 90 minutes.
Former Manchester United youngster Jacob Carney started in goal after missing the Accrington game with a knee problem. Given the personnel, Neil had the option of playing either a back four or a back three but it looked most likely to be a back three with Carl Winchester - who returned after sitting out the Accrington trip due to illness - Danny Batth, and Aji Alese the centre-backs, and with Trai Hume and Harrison Sohna the wingbacks.
That left a midfield three of Jay Matete, Elliot Embleton, and Luke O'Nien, with Ellis Taylor playing off Jack Diamond up front. As for Hartlepool, Paul Hartley included five of his new signings - Jack Hastie, Callum Cooke, Ryan Tumilty, Alex Lacey, and Euan Murray - in his starting XI as they build towards their League Two opener at Walsall on Saturday.
You can follow this evening's game as it happens in our live blog here, with James Hunter at the ground to bring you all the latest action, reaction and analysis.
READ MORE: Hartlepool United vs Sunderland LIVE - Updates from the Black Cats' final pre-season friendly
Tonight's teams
Sunderland: Carney, Winchester, Batth, Alese, Hume, Matete, O'Nien, Embleton, Sohna, Taylor, Diamond
Subs: Patterson, Wright, Ballard, Stewart, Cirkin, Evans, Roberts, Neil, Pritchard, Clarke, Gooch, Spellman
Hartlepool: Killip, Tumility, Lacey, Murray, Ferguson, Featherstone, Cooke, Crawford, Hastie, Grey, Hamilton
Subs: Letheran, Menayese, Paterson, Niang, Shelton, Ndjoli, Umerah
READ NEXT:
- 'Battered us' - Accrington Stanley boss John Coleman's Sunderland admission despite friendly win
- Alex Neil insists places are still up for grabs in Sunderland's opening day line-up
- Alex Neil admits Sunderland showed themselves at their best and at their worst at Accrington
- Sunderland player ratings as Patrick Roberts and Jack Clarke impress in Accrington defeat
- Accrington 2-1 Sunderland report as Black Cats are stunned by second-half fightback
