Sunderland boss Alex Neil named an unchanged side in the league for only the second time since taking over on Wearside. After making a full slate of changes for the midweek Carabao Cup first round exit at Sheffield Wednesday, the Black Cats boss reverted back to the same starting XI that began last weekend's 2-1 Championship win at Bristol City.
Neil has only once previously named the same Sunderland team for successive games, and that was in the play-off semi-final in May when he kept faith with the same side in the away leg against Sheffield Wednesday after winning the home leg 1-0. Sunderland went on to draw 1-1 at Hillsborough, which booked their place in the Wembley final.
QPR boss Michael Beale made limited changes for his side's midweek cup defeat against Charlton, and his teamsheet this afternoon showed three alterations to the XI that beat Middlesbrough 3-2 at Loftus Road last weekend. In came Niko Hamalainen, Olamide Shodipo, and Albert Adomah, with Kenneth Paal, Chris Willock, and Luke Amos missing out.
READ MORE: Recruiting specialist cover for Corry Evans not a top priority for Sunderland
Rangers' starting XI also contained a familiar face in defender Jimmy Dunne, who spent the second half of the 2018-19 season on loan at Sunderland while still a Burnley player. 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.
Today's teams
Sunderland: Patterson, Ballard, Batth, Cirkin, Gooch, Evans, Neil, Clarke, Pritchard, Simms, Stewart.
Subs: Bass, Embleton, Roberts, O'Nien, Diamond, Wright, Alese
QPR:Dieng, Kakay, Dunne, Dickie, Hamalainen, Chair, Johanson, Field, Dykes, Adomah, Shodipo
Subs: Walsh, Roberts, Dozzell, Bonne, Masterson, Gubbins, Armstrong
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