Sunderland's good record at home to Crystal Palace

The Black Cats have a decent home record in the league against the Eagles, having lost just twice in 17 encounters.

Those games include seven wins and eight draws - Sunderland could do with adding another notch in the win column at the Stadium of Light this weekend.

You have to go back a fair distance to find the last home win in the league - back to the 2003-4 season.

Sunderland, under Mick Mccarthy, beat Palace 2-1 during the season thanks to goals from Kevin Kyle and a Marcus Stewart penalty in the 90th minute.

Both sides qualified for the play-offs that season and clashed in the semi-final.

Palace won 3-2 at Selhurst Park but Sunderland looked set for a place in the final when goals from Kyle and Stewart saw them lead 2-0 in the return leg going into the dying seconds - only for Darren Powell to snatch a late goal and take the game into extra-time.

There were no more goals ... and Palace won the penalty shoot-out 5-4.

This was Sunderland’s team: Poom, Bjorklund (Williams 106), McCartney, Whitley, Breen, Babb, Thornton (Robinson 69), McAteer, Kyle, Stewart (Smith 84), Oster. Subs not used: Myhre, Clark.

Last season’s game ended 2-2 thanks to yet another last-minute goal, scored by Fabio Borini - a fantastic shot from a wide angle. Earlier, Dame N’Doye had opened the scoring with a deflected shot before two Connor Whickham goals had put the visitors ahead.

The season before, Whickham had scored for Sunderland in the last minute - but it was was scant consolation as Palace were 4-0 up by then thanks to a hat-trick from Yannick Bolassie and a Glenn Murray goal.