Sunderland return to action on Saturday aiming to make a swift return to winning ways in the Championship, having suffered a first defeat of the term last time out after enjoying a perfect start.

Following a 16th-placed finish last time around in England's second tier, the Black Cats headed into the 2024-25 term under the new management of Regis Le Bris and went into the September international break at the summit of the division having won each of their first four league outings.

The Wearside outfit got the better of Cardiff City, Sheffield Wednesday, Burnley and Portsmouth, scoring 10 goals and only conceding once along the way, before returning to action on Saturday with the aim of making it five triumphs from five.

They faced a long trip to Plymouth Argyle and came away empty-handed for the first time in the Championship under their new boss, eventually succumbing to a 3-2 defeat at Home Park despite going ahead through Patrick Roberts and drawing level late on through Romaine Mundle, as Joe Edwards netted the decisive goal for the hosts in injury time.

Still with plenty of positives to take from their eye-catching improvement under new management in the early stages of the campaign, Sunderland will be keen to put last week's disappointment behind them and bounce back with another three-point haul on home turf.

Their visitors, meanwhile, make the short trip with the aim of replicating last season's visit to the Stadium of Light, in which they thrashed the Black Cats 4-0 in the Tees-Wear Derby thanks to goals from Sam Greenwood, Matt Crookes, Isaiah Jones and Marcus Forss.

After finishing two places and four points short of the playoff spots last time around, Middlesbrough headed into their second full season under the management of Michael Carrick with their sights set on the top six once again, and they have experienced a mixed start.

Indeed, their first three league outings produced a victory, a draw and a defeat, before they headed into the September international break on a positive note following a 2-0 triumph away at Cardiff City courtesy of Matt Clarke's opener and an Aaron Ramsey own goal.

Then returning to action last weekend on seven points from four outings, Carrick's men hosted Preston North End on Saturday and had to settle for a share of the spoils at the Riverside Stadium, as neither side managed to find a winner in the second half after Mads Frokjaer-Jensen cancelled out Tommy Conway's opener.

Arguably still yet to get going in their latest promotion bid, Middlesbrough will bid to make it back-to-back away wins over rivals Sunderland on Saturday to move within a single point of the hosts and likely into the top six.

Sunderland are set to remain without defenders Jenson Seelt, Niall Huggins and Aji Alese due to injuries, while Chris Mepham is yet to be deemed fit to join the squad following his loan arrival from Bournemouth.

Regis Le Bris could again field an unchanged starting XI despite last weekend's late defeat, with Trai Hume, Dan Ballard, Luke O'Nien and Dennis Cirkin bound to line up in an unaltered back four given those absences.

Alan Browne will compete to come into the midfield, but 17-year-old Chris Rigg and 18-year-old Jobe Bellingham could again get the nod alongside Dan Neil, while Patrick Roberts, Eliezer Mayenda and Romaine Mundle should continue in a front three with the latter having scored in three consecutive Championship games heading into the Tees-Wear Derby.

Michael Carrick continues to contend with an abundance of injury issues in his Middlesbrough squad, as defenders Darragh Lenihan, Dael Fry, Tommy Smith and Alex Bangura are set to remain confined to the treatment room alongside midfielder Jonny Howson and attacker Marcus Forss.

Given those extensive losses in defence, Luke Ayling, Matt Clarke, George Edmundson and Neto Borges are bound to line up in an unaltered back four, while Aidan Morris will hope to earn a starting berth in the midfield after Daniel Barlaser and Hayden Hackney were preferred against Preston last time out.

Elsewhere, Ben Doak and Delano Burgzorg will fight to come into a dangerous attacking unit, with Isaiah Jones, Tommy Conway, Finn Azaz and Emmanuel Latte Lath, who netted 16 goals in 30 appearances in his debut Championship campaign last time around, all hoping to keep their places.

Sunderland possible starting lineup:

Patterson; Hume, Ballard, O'Nien, Cirkin; Rigg, Neil, Bellingham; Roberts, Mayenda, Mundle

Middlesbrough possible starting lineup:

Dieng; Ayling, Edmundson, Clarke, Borges; Hackney, Morris; Doak, Conway, Azaz; Latte Lath