Luke O'Nien was passed fit to start against Luton Town meaning Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray was able to name the same XI that began the midweek defeat against Sheffield United. Defender O'Nien limped out of the game against the Blades late on after suffering a kick in a challenge with Ollie Norwood.
And with Dennis Cirkin and Aji Alese out injured, had O'Nien missed out today it would have left Mowbray with a major problem at left-back. But in the end that was not an issue, and Mowbray has now named the same side for three games in a row, starting with last Sunday's win at Norwich before the home game against Sheffield United.
The only change to his squad saw on-loan Manchester United forward Amad named on the bench after he had recovered from the hamstring strain that had kept him out of the last two games. He replaced centre-back Joe Anderson amongst the subs.
READ MORE: Sunderland vs Luton Town LIVE: All the latest updates from the Stadium of Light
Luton boss Rob Edwards also stuck with an unchanged side, in his case naming the same starting XI which beat Bristol City 1-0 at Kenilworth Road in midweek. You can follow all the action in our live blog here.
Today's teams
Sunderland: Patterson, Hume, Ballard, Batth, O'Nien, Michut, Neil, Roberts, Ba, Clarke, Gelhardt
Subs: Bass, Gooch, Amad, Bennette, Pritchard, Lihadji, Ekwah
Luton Town: Horvath, Osho, Lockyer, Bell, Drameh, Nakamba, Berry, Doughty, Campbell, Adebayo, Morris
Subs: Shea, Woodrow, Lansbury, Burke, Clark, Onyedinma, Taylor
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