-
Sunderland sacked Mowbray after one point in last three games
-
They rank 12th in the Championship home table
-
WBA haven't suffered back-to-back defeats this season
The post-Tony Mowbray era at The Stadium of Light starts here, with the former West Brom boss having been shown the door at Sunderland before having the opportunity to stop the rot against his old club.
It's one win in five for the Black Cats, who started the season impressively as they looked to continue Mowbray's good work from last season, which culminated in a Top 6 finish.
West Brom's attempts to close the gap to the top was dealt a cruel blow as they were caught on the break by Leicester late in their game on Saturday, soon after having scored an equaliser to make the score 1-1. This is now a chance for them to ensure the play-off chasing pack are kept at arm's length.
Mogga Gone
Tony Mowbray exceeded expectations at Sunderland, in what was likely meant to be a stop-gap appointment last season after the abrupt departure of Alex Neil early in the campaign.
Sunderland generally look to recruit young players from around the world, and it's likely that their managerial search will follow a similar pattern, but for this game it's Mike Dodds in the dugout who has lost his two previous caretaker games in charge.
They've won just two of their last nine games, and those came against two of the out of form teams in the Championship at the time in Norwich and Birmingham. This is a tough assignment for Dodds in what could well be his only game in charge in this spell.
Stadium of Plight
Sunderland have also been something of a Jekyll and Hyde team at home this season, winning five and losing four at the Stadium of Light. Three of these defeats came against teams currently in the top half, so it's been against the better sides in the division where they have struggled.
West Brom's form on the road doesn't look like anything special, but they have been impressive in recent games including the 2-1 defeat at St Mary's, where they stopped Southampton from playing their possession heavy style and were unfortunate not to win the game, let alone get a draw.
Baggies to Boing Back
Carlos Corberan may have a tough time getting his players over the disappointment of conceding so late after a good performance against the league leaders, but his side are yet to taste back-to-back defeats this season and should feel confident in their chances of another good display.
The value here lies in supporting the form team with a manager who has his side well drilled and moving up the table rather than the struggling group wondering who their next Head Coach is going to be.
Read more Championship previews and tips here.
Football... Only Bettor. Watch the latest episode now.