Sunderland v West Ham Preview

Posted Tuesday, September 21, 2010 by sportinglife.aol.co.uk

CARLING CUP: STADIUM OF LIGHT, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2010. KICK-OFF: 1945 BST

With respective league games against Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur on the horizon, both sides could be forgiven for filing this third round encounter under the section marked 'couldn't care less'.

Maybe so, but they could each do with a prolonged run in the competition for differing reasons. It's been one of the stated aims of Steve Bruce since taking charge at Sunderland to oversee a decent cup run, a wish he has singularly failed to achieve so far in his 15 months at the club.

For the statistically minded, this is the manager's 50th game in charge, and he has, unsurprisingly, promised to ring the changes in front of a Stadium of Light crowd that will struggle to reach 20,000 - a little over half the figure to witness the draw against Arsenal. "Someone told me it's my 50th game. I suppose that's a bit of a record round here," he joked.

For their part, with a season of toil against the threat of relegation clearly on the cards, West Ham would welcome any kind of diversion from the week-to-week grind of the Premier League.

Key March-up: Jordan Henderson v Kieron Dyer: Sunderland's England Under-21 international Henderson takes his latest opportunity to impress, coming up against the kind of wasted talent he will hope his career path assiduously avoids. That's if serial crock Dyer is fit, of course, the 31-year-old having added a thigh problem to the long, long list of injuries that proved his body's not up to it and that he probably should have hung up his boots a long time ago.

Form Guide: Sunderland start as favourites due to their impressive home form - just one defeat on Wearside in the last 10 months. West Ham finally got their first Premier League point of the season on the board at the weekend, but their last away win arrived more than 13 months ago, and anything other than a victory for the Black Cats would be a major surprise.

Odds: Sunderland 4/5, West Ham 7/2, Draw 5/2

SUNDERLAND:
Bruce hand starts to Asamoah Gyan, Bolo Zenden and young midfielder Jack Colback. "I'll be freshening it up," he said. Paulo Da Silva is also set for a rare appearance from the off, as is Phil Bardsley.

Gyan's first start for the club comes after two substitute appearances following his club record £13m arrival. Bruce added: "He had a month off after the World Cup and he's not done much since. He's bright enough to know that he needs to do a bit more. He's a beast of a man but if you're not right physically you'll get found out at this level, I don't care who you are."

Darren Bent, never one to enjoy being left out no matter what the competition in his never ending quest for goals, might have to settle for a spot of rest and relaxation, with a trip to Anfield and the visit of Manchester United Sunderland's next two league fixtures.

"Benty wants to play in every game but cotton wool comes to mind, it's not really a rest at this start of the season," Bruce added. "As far as the other lads are concerned, Bolo needs a game, and it might be a game to have a look at young Jack Colback.

"Everybody's different but the one thing I'd love to do is to go on a cup run, it would delight and excite everyone. We'll be giving the competition the respect it deserves. If we beat West Ham and get a home draw, then all of a sudden you're looking at a quarter-final. Knowing this area like I do, it would capture the imagination of the fans."

Strategy: Go out to win, and make sure it's in 90 minutes. Bruce will revert to his favoured 4-4-2 after a tactical switch to counter Arsenal's midfield strength. It could be Gyan and Bent up front, or Danny Welbeck alongside the Ghanaian if Bent is cotton-wooled, so to speak. Lee Cattermole serves the final game of a two-match ban.

Injury Update: David Meyler and Fraizer Campbell are both long-term absentees after knee surgery. Craig Gordon will resume training before the end of September as he steps up his come-back from a broken arm. Michael Turner is making progress on his ankle injury but won't come into contention.

WEST HAM UNITED:
Scott Parker has urged his team mates to stick together during their disappointing start to the season and insists they need to start winning games to boost their confidence.

Last weekend's 1-1 draw with Stoke went a small way to increasing morale at the club and Parker knows victory over Sunderland in the Carling Cup on Tuesday night could prove to be the catalyst for a wining run in the league.

He said: "We have to put up a front. That's exactly what's needed now, it's going to be a tough season for us. There's no hiding from the fact that it's going to be difficult but the one thing we have to do is stick together, no matter what is written and who says what.

"The way things were going there were a lot of people who wouldn't have thought we would have got a result at Stoke. But we do need to start winning. We all know that in the Premier League you can have as much quality as you want, but you need a real desire to go and win. I try and play my game and try and inspire others to follow. And there are a few like that out there."

Strategy: The three-pronged attack is likely to be employed once again with Carlton Cole flanked by Frederic Piquionne and Victor Obinna. The trio bring height and power to the Hammers' attack and will prove a handful for Sunderland's defenders. Mark Noble and Parker are likely to keep their places in the centre of midfield with Radoslav Kovac likely to take the remaining place.

Injury Update: Valon Behrami has a calf problem and is rated as doubtful. Thomas Hitzlsperger could be in line for his West Ham debut depending on his thigh problem.