Alex Neil made two changes to the side that started the weekend draw against QPR. Luke O'Nien came into the side in place of centre-back Daniel Ballard, who limped off inside the opening ten minutes at the Stadium of Light with what was later revealed to be a fractured foot.
O'Nien came off the bench to replace Ballard on the right side of the back three on Saturday and was expected to fill the same role against Sheffield United tonight. The second change saw Elliot Embleton brought into the starting line-up in place of Corry Evans.
Evans was not included amongst the subs which indicated that he was also missing through injury, although he did complete the full 90 minutes at the weekend. Jay Matete and Trai Hume were included on the bench to take the place of O'Nien and Embleton.
READ MORE: Sheffield United vs Sunderland LIVE: Updates from Bramall Lane as Black Cats face Blades
Sheffield United boss Paul Heckingbottom - who had a spell on the books at Sunderland in the late 1990s but did not play a first-team game - also made two changes to his starting XI, in his case to the side that began the 2-2 draw at Middlesbrough on Sunday. On-loan Manchester City midfielder James McAtee made his Championship debut, replacing John Fleck who dropped to the bench, while Rhian Brewster came in for the injured Billy Sharp up front.
The Blades side was captained by Sunderland academy product John Egan, who left Wearside in 2014 without playing for the first-team. You can follow the game as it happens in our matchday live blog here, with all the post-match reaction and analysis as it happens.
Tonight's teams
Sunderland: Patterson, O'Nien, Batth, Cirkin, Gooch, Neil, Embleton, Clarke, Pritchard, Simms, Stewart
Subs: Bass, Roberts, Diamond, Wright, Matete, Hume, Alese
Sheffield United: Foderingham, Ahmedhodzic, Egan, Norrington-Davies, Baldock, Berge, Norwood, McAtee, Lowe, Ndiaye, Brewster
Subs: Amissah, Fleck, Basham, McBurnie, Khadra, Doyle, Jebbison
READ NEXT:
- Alex Neil warns Sunderland they will face a 'next level' team when they visit Sheffield United
- Alex Neil on how the 'almighty dollar' always speaks loudest in the transfer market
- Alex Neil reveals frustration behind the scenes at slow pace of Sunderland's transfer progress
- Sunderland suffer a second defensive injury, forcing Alex Neil to adjust transfer priorities
- Sunderland rocked by Dan Ballard foot fracture picked up against QPR
