Sunderland v Bolton Wanderers,
Barclays Premier League,
Saturday 9 May, 2009,
The Reebok Stadium, 3pm Kick-Off.
Wanderers can preserve their Barclays Premier League status for a ninth consecutive season on Saturday afternoon with three points against Sunderland.
Indeed, spirits are high after two creditable draws and following the 4-1 victory at the Stadium of Light in November, Gary Megson's men could record their third double of the season to rank alongside the scalps of West Ham and Middlesbrough.
Wanderers could conceivably move up to 11th position with a win over the Black Cats in what is Gary Megson's 75th match in charge of the club.
Sunderland travel to the Reebok occupying 16th spot with a tally of 35 points - four less than Bolton. They have lost six out of their last seven Premier League matches and are without victory in eight attempts away from the Stadium of Light.
Despite their recent results, Black Cats' midfielder Grant Leadbitter is confident that his team will be successful in their battle against the drop.
He said: "We all want to stay in this league. The Premier League is the best league in the world and everyone wants to play in it. Everyone wants to stay in the league, not just for ourselves and the club, but also for Ricky. He is a man-manager and he makes you want to be the best player that you can be."
The referee for the afternoon is Hampshire-based official Rob Styles. He has taken control of 23 Premier League matches already this season, flashing six red cards and 74 yellows. It will be Styles' third Bolton Wanderers game of the season, the previous two being the Whites' defeat at Manchester United and the home loss to Liverpool.
Team News
Mark Davies and Danny Shittu have both returned to full training following their respective knee and calf injuries and could come into contention. Kevin Davies and Matty Taylor picked up slight knocks during the 1-1 draw at Wigan Athletic but are expected to make a full recovery in time.
Ricky Sbragia hinted earlier in the week that he might be prepared to alter his Sunderland strike force of Djibril Cisse and Kenwyne Jones, so that remains to be seen. Midfielder Teemu Tainio may return to the squad after recovering from a knee problem but keeper Craig Gordon is definitely out for the season.
Opposition Key Player - Kieran Richardson
Sunderland completed the signing of the England midfielder from Manchester United in July 2007. The 24-year-old signed a four-year contract at the Stadium of Light and joined for an undisclosed fee, thought to be in the region of £5.5million.
He etched his name into Wearside folklore earlier this season when he netted a stunning free-kick 15 minutes from time to earn his side the bragging rights over near neighbours Newcastle with a 2-1 victory.
Richardson, who began his career as a trainee at Old Trafford, enjoyed a successful loan spell at West Brom in 2005 during which he helped them stay in the Premier League.
The Greenwich-born man scored twice on his international debut against USA in 2005, one directly from a free-kick. He has since gone on to earn a total of eight caps for England.
Opposition Manager - Ricky Sbragia
Not too unfamiliar to Bolton supporters, Sbragia spent a couple of years at the Reebok working in the role of first team coach prior to moving to Sunderland for a second time in November 2007.
Having retired from the game as a player in 1987, the 52-year-old Scot switched his attentions to coaching, firstly with the youth setup at York City then Sunderland before eventually moving to Manchester United in a senior capacity in 2002.
It was from here that Sam Allardyce tempted him to move to Bolton Wanderers, where he continued to work under Sammy Lee once Allardyce left the club.
The former centre-half was placed in temporary charge of the Black Cats following Roy Keane's departure from the managerial hot-seat at the beginning of December. Big victories over West Bromwich Albion and Hull City during his caretaker period was enough to convince the Sunderland board that he was worthy of the full-time position and Sbragia was subsequently appointed manager of the club on 27 December on an 18-month contract.
Listen Live
If you can't make it to the Reebok Stadium on Saturday afternoon, you can listen to live uninterrupted commentary on Wanderers World with the club's new official commentator Phil Gittins and special guest summariser Tony Kelly. The broadcast starts at 2.30pm.
Click here for more details on how to purchase Wanderers World
