Tony Mowbray was forced into one change to the side that won at Preston in the final day of the Championship season, as his side prepared to take on Luton Town in the play-off semi-final. Dennis Cirkin had limped off at half-time with an ankle injury in that win at Deepdale and he did not recover in time to be involved against the Hatters at the Stadium of Light.
His place in Sunderland's starting XI was taken by Alex Pritchard, who had replaced him from the bench at Preston, meaning the Black Cats lined up against Luton with a back three as they had at the beginning of the second half against the Lillywhites. Lynden Gooch had been substituted in the second half at Preston with a minor hamstring issue but he was passed fit to start, and the versatile was included on the left side of the back three, with Trai Hume and Luke O'Nien operating as the other centre-backs.
That left Patrick Roberts and Jack Clarke as the wingbacks, with Dan Neil and Pierre Ekwah in central midfield. Joe Gelhardt will lead the line, supported by Amad and Pritchard.
READ MORE: Sunderland vs Luton Town LIVE: Early team news from Stadium of Light ahead of play-off first leg
On the bench, Mowbray included full-back Niall Huggins who has spent most of the season out injured, and last appeared in the squad at the end of January in Sunderland's FA Cup fourth round draw at Fulham. With third place already secured ahead of the last game of the season, Luton boss Rob Edwards had made multiple changes for the last-day goalless draw at home to Hull City but he reverted to a full-strength line-up for the play-offs.
That meant eight changes, with Ethan Horvath, Cody Drameh, Tom Lockyer, Carlton Morris, Elijah Adebayo, Marvelous Nakamba, Pelly Mpanzu, and Amari'i Bell returning, in place of James Shea, Dan Potts, Sonny Bradley, Louie Watson, Allan Campbell, Fred Onyedinma, Joe Taylor, and Luke Freeman.
You can follow all the action on the live blog here.
Today's teams
Sunderland: Patterson, Hume, O'Nien, Gooch, Roberts, Neil, Ekwah, Clarke, Amad, Pritchard, Gelhardt
Subs: Bass, Huggins, Ba, Lihadji, Michut, Anderson, Taylor
Luton Town: Horvath,Osho, Lockyer, Bell, Drameh, Mpanzu, Nakamba, Clark, Doughty, Morris, Adebayo
Subs: Shea, Potts, Berry, Burke, Campbell, Onyedinma, Freeman
READ NEXT
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- Owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus' passionate message to Sunderland fans on the eve of play-off semi-final
- Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag makes decision on Sunderland loanee Amad
- Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray on the 'dark arts' needed to nullify Luton's set-piece advantage
