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Sport
Stuart Jamieson

Sunderland vs Portsmouth team selection issues: Pick your side for play-off first leg

Forget the disappointing end of the season, forget the Checkatrade Trophy Final penalties defeat - this is the time to deliver.

For Sunderland and manager Jack Ross , all their efforts throughout what has been a long season hang on the coming week.

The Black Cats take on Portsmouth over two legs in the League One play-off semi-final finals, starting at at the Stadium of Light on Saturday night.

The winners will then face either Charlton or Doncaster in the Wembley final.

Ross needs to pick a side who can bounce back from the defeats at Fleetwood and Southend as the Black Cats ended the regular season on a downbeat note.

They only lost five times in the league all season, so should the manager go for big changes?

The fitness of Aiden McGeady will be a key factor, with the winger an important part of this Sunderland squad, while Ross will want as many of his players fit and rating to go.

So what would you do this weekend? Would you go for it and try to get the tie decided in the home leg, or play a more cautious approach?

Pick your Black Cats starting XI from the squad below - and see how it compares to the most popular XI.

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