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Preview: AFC Wimbledon vs. Sunderland - prediction, team news, lineups

:Headline: Preview: AFC Wimbledon vs. Sunderland - prediction, team news, lineups:
Sports Mole previews Saturday's League One clash between AFC Wimbledon and Sunderland, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Sports Mole

Sunderland will be looking to bounce back from three straight League One defeats when they continue their campaign away to AFC Wimbledon on Saturday afternoon.

The Black Cats will enter the contest off the back of a 2-1 loss at Cheltenham Town on Tuesday, while Wimbledon suffered a 1-0 defeat to Rotherham United on the same night.


Match preview

Wimbledon's winless run continued on Tuesday evening, with the Dons suffering a 1-0 home defeat to Rotherham, which followed a 3-2 loss at Charlton Athletic on February 5.

Not since December 7 have Wimbledon managed to collect all three points in League One, and a total 30 points from 30 matches has left them down in 20th spot in the table, just one point clear of 21st-placed Morecambe, who have played one game more than the side directly above them.

Mark Robinson's side, who finished 19th in League One last season, have found it difficult to pick up positive results in front of their own supporters this term, collecting just 15 points from 15 matches, which is the joint-worst record in the division alongside Lincoln City and Doncaster Rovers.

Wimbledon will certainly be wary of a potential backlash from Sunderland this weekend, and it is a big end to the month for the club, as they will take on Bolton Wanderers on February 19 before travelling to Gillingham and hosting Doncaster in their final two games of the month.

At the time of writing, Sunderland are yet to name a new head coach, but Roy Keane continues to be strongly linked with the position, and the 50-year-old's return to the club could be confirmed ahead of this game.

Lee Johnson was sacked as manager following the 6-0 defeat to Bolton at the end of January, with Mike Dodds and Michael Proctor placed in charge on a caretaker basis, but the results have not improved, with the club losing their last against Doncaster and Cheltenham to lose precious ground at the top.

The Black Cats, who have not triumphed in the league since beating Portsmouth on January 22, are currently fourth in League One, 11 points behind leaders Rotherham.

Sunderland are also crucially two points behind second-placed Wigan Athletic, who have four games in hand on them, so a spot in the playoffs might be the best that the club can achieve this term.

The former Premier League club have been inconsistent on their travels in League One this term, winning five, drawing five and losing six of their 16 matches, but it is vital that they find a way to return to winning ways here, as their promotion push is in danger of collapsing at a vital stage of the season.

AFC Wimbledon League One form:
  • D
  • L
  • D
  • D
  • L
  • L

Sunderland League One form:
  • L
  • D
  • W
  • L
  • L
  • L

Team News

Wimbledon boss Robinson will have been encouraged by his team's performance against table-topping Rotherham on Tuesday, so it would not be a surprise to see the same XI take to the field.

That said, Daniel Csoka was forced off at the interval last time out, so the defender will need to be assessed, with Will Nightingale on standby to come into the side.

Jack Rudoni has impressed for Wimbledon this season, scoring seven times in League One, and the 21-year-old will again feature in the final third of the field this weekend.

As for Sunderland, recent arrivals Jermain Defoe and Patrick Roberts are pushing for starts after appearing off the bench against Cheltenham, but the club will be cautious when it comes to the fitness of the pair.

The management team are expected to resist the temptation to make wholesale changes from the side that started on Tuesday, with Jack Clarke set to retain his spot in a wide area.

Jay Matete and Leon Dajaku were among those introduced into the team against Cheltenham, and the pair could retain their positions in the first XI against a struggling Wimbledon.

AFC Wimbledon possible starting lineup:
Tzanev; Kalambayi, Heneghan, Nightingale; Alexander, Hartigan, Marsh, Guinness-Walker; Rudoni, Cosgrove, Assal

Sunderland possible starting lineup:
Patterson; Hume, Batth, Doyle, Cirkin; Evans, Matete; Dajaku, Pritchard, Clarke; Stewart


We say: AFC Wimbledon 0-1 Sunderland

This is a huge match for both sides, and it will be fascinating to see what occurs on Saturday afternoon. We are expecting a cagey contest between two out-of-form teams but believe that Sunderland's additional quality will shine through to secure a hugely important three points at Plough Lane.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 3.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Under 3.5:data



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League One Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Rotherham UnitedRotherham30205555183765
2Wigan AthleticWigan27175548262256
3MK Dons31168751341756
4Sunderland31166955431254
5Oxford UnitedOxford Utd31158854381653
6Wycombe WanderersWycombe30158746341253
7Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds301410642321052
8Plymouth ArgylePlymouth29148751361550
9Ipswich TownIpswich311381049381147
10Bolton WanderersBolton30126124439542
11Portsmouth29118103431341
12Accrington StanleyAccrington30117123746-940
13Charlton AthleticCharlton30116134037339
14Burton Albion30116133638-239
15Cambridge UnitedCambridge30910113843-537
16Cheltenham TownCheltenham30812103649-1336
17Lincoln CityLincoln2997133539-434
18Shrewsbury TownShrewsbury31810132832-434
19Fleetwood TownFleetwood30711124451-732
20AFC Wimbledon30612123646-1030
21Morecambe3178164260-1829
22Gillingham31510162552-2725
23Crewe AlexandraCrewe3057182552-2722
24Doncaster RoversDoncaster3164212259-3722
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Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City24193257144360
2Liverpool23156260194151
3Chelsea24138348183047
4West Ham UnitedWest Ham24124842311140
5Arsenal2212373425939
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd2311663731639
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs2111372827136
8Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2210481917234
9Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2261242323030
10Southampton2361072936-728
11Aston Villa2283113135-427
12Leicester CityLeicester217593439-526
13Crystal Palace2351083235-325
14Brentford2465132640-1423
15Leeds UnitedLeeds225892743-1623
16Everton2154122538-1319
17Newcastle UnitedNewcastle2239102444-2018
18Norwich CityNorwich2345141446-3217
19Watford2243152341-1815
20Burnley2011181728-1114
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